South Carolina, 1964. Lily Owens is a young girl haunted by the memory of her mother, who died in an accident when Lily was just a toddler. When Rosaleen, a woman hired to look after Lily by her father, insults some pivotal figures in the town, Lily and her are forced to flee and find a new home. They come across August, who allows them to stay with her as long as they help with life on her farm. The longer Lily stays on the farm, the more she learns about life, family and making honey.