Quality Street

In 1805 England, Dr. Valentine Brown tells Phoebe that he has something important to say. He then reveals he has enlisted in the army to fight in the Napoleonic Wars. Phoebe hides her devastation so well that Brown never suspects the depth of her love. She resolves to give up hope of ever marrying.

Ten years pass and the wars have ended; Brown returns as a captain. He comes to invite the sisters to a ball, but Phoebe is taken aback by how much her looks have deteriorated. Hurt by this, Phoebe declines the invitation, masking the depth of her love.

To lift her spirits, Phoebe sheds her drab everyday clothes and dresses up in a beautiful gown, disguising herself as Livy. Patty quickly identifies Phoebe as Livy when Brown returns unexpectedly and goes along with the deception. Taken in completely, Brown invites 'Livy' to the ball.

Phoebe as Livy accepts the ball invitation and resolves to make Brown fall in love with her, then reject him when he proposes. She believes she can steer his affections with charm and theatrics, while keeping her true intentions hidden. The plan hinges on deception rather than genuine emotion.

At the ball, Livy is quickly surrounded by admirers, much to Brown's annoyance. He watches as the attention shifts away from him to Phoebe's disguise, fueling tension between their real feelings and the performance.

In the days that follow, Livy flirts with all the men, enjoying the attention and testing Brown's resolve. She revels in the attention while Brown grows uneasy about the deception.

At a party, Brown approaches Livy and instead lectures her on her behavior, revealing that he is in love with Phoebe. He makes his true feelings clear, despite the ruse.

The next day, neighbors the Willoughbys voice suspicions that Livy and Phoebe are the same person. Elder Mary Willoughby and the others watch the sisters, pressing for answers and threatening exposure.

Brown goes to confront Patty and learns the truth from her: Livy is Phoebe in disguise. He then calls on the sergeant who first recruited him to help coordinate the plan to clear the deception.

With the sergeant's help, he stages the reveal by dressing a seat cushion to resemble Livy and placing it in a carriage to be sent away, all in sight of the snooping neighbors. The plan exposes the impostor and clears the way for Phoebe and Brown to be together.

Two lovers are finally free to be themselves as they spend time together. Brown goes inside, then embraces Phoebe, sealing their reconciliation and the end of the ruse.