 Mary Scott (Margaret Sullivan) learns she only has ten months to live before dying of an incurable disease. She manages to keep the news from her husband, Brad (Wendell Corey) and daughter, Polly (Natalie Wood.) She tries to make every moment of her life count, but her effort is weakened by the discovery that Brad is interested in his assistant, Chris Radner (Viveca Lindfors). But when she learns that Brad does indeed love her and not Chris, and that Chris is leaving town, she realizes what she must do to ensure the future happiness of Brad and Polly. She persuades Chris to stay, makes a genuine friend of her and watches Polly grow towards Chris.