Charles Bender, on a trip from New York City, impulsively buys an old one-room schoolhouse on the banks of the Dog River in Eden, Vermont. When his wife, Charlotte, reluctantly agrees to move to Vermont with him but refuses to live in the schoolhouse he turns it into a small country gourmet restaurant, and Charlotte's is born.
Twenty odd years later, following the death of larger-than-life Charles, his two sons discover that their father has left the restaurant to only one of them: the oldest, Charles Jr, Charlie. Like his father he is tall and strong and a talented chef. The younger brother, Owen, with the good looks of his mother and a great deal of charisma, decides to leave Eden and travel the world. He joins the merchant marines and becomes a cook on a freighter, not to return for seven years.
Meanwhile Charlie falls in love with Claire Apple, the chef he has hired to assist him. They marry and Owen is a surprise guest at the wedding. Charlie persuades his brother to stay and join him at Charlotte's. This is his fateful mistake as Owen, who can have virtually any woman he wants, falls for Claire and she for him. They begin a clandestine affair which can only lead to trouble . . .
