 Two sisters have encounters with a wealthy family. The younger sister (Carter) is rejected by the son of the wealthy family. The older sister (Thompson) becomes a good friend of the wealthy mother, whose most cherished possession is their cottage at Howard s End, and wishes fervently that Thompson could live there, as they are kindred spirits. Over the course of years, the older sister marries into the wealthy family, and the family tries to keep her from taking possession of Howard s End.