In late-18th-century England, the Dashwood family, consisting of Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters—Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret—are left in a precarious financial situation after the passing of Mr. Dashwood. Due to the laws of inheritance of the time, the family estate passes to the only Dashwood son from the patriarch's first marriage, John Dashwood, and his insufferable and greedy wife, Fanny. The family is forced to move to a modest cottage in Devonshire, provided by a distant relative. As they adjust to their new life, the two elder Dashwood sisters, Elinor, who is sensible and reserved, and Marianne, who is emotional and romantic, navigate the challenges of love and heartbreak.

Elinor forms a close bond with Fanny's brother, Edward Ferrars, but their budding romance is complicated by his family's expectations and the revelation of a secret engagement. Marianne, meanwhile, attracts the attention of the dashing but unreliable John Willoughby and the honorable but much older Colonel Brandon. As the sisters pursue their romantic interests, they learn valuable lessons about the importance of balancing sense—practicality and restraint—and sensibility—emotion and passion—in order to achieve happiness. Through their trials, they rely on each other and their own convictions to make choices that will define their futures.