Mary dreams of copper and silver, of sailing a boat to Spain, of a silk dress trimmed in lace and tiny beads. But in the harsh reality of 1930s Newfoundland, she spends her twelfth summer making salt fish with the grown women, working hard under the hot sun. The price of fish goes down, but nothing can drive the dreams from mary's soul. Even Aunt Chrissie's box of cast-offs from Boston brings a special magic to her life.