In 1840s England, the renowned but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning leads a reclusive life in the coastal town of Lyme Regis. Struggling with financial difficulties, Mary spends her days scouring the cliffs for fossils to sell to tourists. Her solitary existence is disrupted when a wealthy visitor, Roderick Murchison, requests that she care for his ailing young wife, Charlotte, while he travels abroad. Initially reluctant, Mary agrees to the arrangement out of financial necessity. Charlotte, bedridden and suffering from melancholy, gradually becomes intrigued by Mary’s work and her fierce independence.

As Charlotte recuperates under Mary’s care, the two women develop a deep, albeit tentative connection. Charlotte is drawn to Mary’s passion for fossils and the natural world, while Mary begins to shed some of her guardedness and isolation. Their relationship blossoms into a profound bond, challenging the rigid societal norms of the time. As they explore the coastal landscape together, both women find themselves changed in ways neither could have anticipated.