In 1880, Philadelphia and Cape Island, New Jersey offer lucrative opportunities to bankers and industrialists, entrepreneurs whose lives seem to be enviable. Yet, these leaders of polite society are subject to the same adversities as all men. They cannot conceal themselves behind their marble walls. Life's challenges do not respect position; trials come, threatening to consume, if trust in God is not the stronger force.

The three Whitman sisters belong to that polite society. They are blessed with physical allure: auburn hair, sapphire eyes, and satiny-white skin, but such attributes do not guarantee happiness. Faith, who lost her eyesight at age eleven after a prolonged illness, excels in musical performance. She elopes with Reed Collins, a fellow musician, and goes to England to concertize on the piano. Her future security is threatened when Reed's amorous past forces its way into the present. Hope and her husband, a surgeon at Pennsylvania Hospital, are anticipating the birth of their first child, but their joy is snatched away; the pain of such a loss separates them, and Hope wonders if she will ever find peace. Charity, opinionated and rebellious, is sent to Charleston by her parents, where her paternal grandmother intends to find her a husband, in fact a Baptist preacher who can tame her wildness. That plan quickly goes awry when Charity runs away.

Overwhelmed by heartbreaking situations, the sisters seek God. The heavenly Father draws each one to the Savior; they hear His call, for only belief in Him can heal, resolving the complications. He directs Faith, Hope, and Charity to the narrow path that leads to life and bathes them in His eternal light.