Set over the course of a summer, ‘The Spring Begins’ follows the autonomous awakenings of three women at various stages of life and at different levels of employment within households. There’s the young orphan Lottie, employed as a nursemaid to the wealthy Kellaway children and terrified by the world of men; the scullery maid Maggie, 19, and unafraid of seeking out pleasure where it is offered to her; and Hessy Price the older governess to a local clerical family whose worldview shatters when her younger sister becomes engaged. As each woman tries to navigate their physical desires alongside social propriety, the currency of beauty and youth alongside the toll domestic work and poverty takes on their bodies, each comes to find happiness in their own unique way.