Mary and her mother lived in a seaside town in the south of England. Every morning after the tide recedes, Mary goes to the beach to find shells and ammonites, polish them, process them into crafts, and sell them to tourists.
Since Mary followed her father to the sea to collect fossils from an early age, she has long developed superhuman fossil identification skills. But in the male-dominated nineteenth-century scientific community, her achievements were not recognized and rewarded by British society. The hard work of the whole day can only make my mother and her live a life of poverty.
The fossils of Ichthyosaurs discovered when Mary was eleven years old on display at the British Museum are now also signed with the names of other men. Female archaeologists in the patriarchal era did not have even the most basic right of attribution, let alone the honor and status they received.
Roderick was a very famous geologist of the nineteenth century. His wife, Charlotte, served as his assistant and accompanied him around the world all year round.
While visiting Lyme Town, Roderick and Charlotte walked into Mary's little shop. Seeing Mary working hard and polishing ammonites, Roderick immediately became interested in fossil gathering. He was willing to spend a lot of money to get the opportunity to study with Mary.
During Mary's career as a fossil hunter, she met many men like Roderick who came to buy and visit fossils. They bought the fossils collected by Mary, made them public, and published the fossil experience they learned from Mary's mouth into a paper, winning reputation and social status.
Although Mary had long been tired of entertaining these high-ranking geologists in British society. But life in poverty had to make her succumb to reality. Her elderly and sick mother also hoped that Mary would earn more money from the family.
In order to better study with Mary, Roderick stayed in a hotel in the town.
Although Roderick went out with Sherlock, their feelings were not so harmonious.
He had almost extinguished all of Charlotte's desires. He refused to let Charlotte attend the ball. Food-wise, he only allowed her to eat some white fish meat without any seasoning. They were silent when they were together, and even the X life between the couple was canceled.
Charlotte has the face of a young girl, and has the charm of a young woman. Her hair is blond and curly, and her face is angular. The rich life made her skin white and tender, and her delicate body made her look more feminine.
But her appearance did not make her husband look at her more. Her husband's indifference and wandering life made Charlotte more and more depressed, and the gloomy eyes added to her tenderness, but the long-term bad emotions slowly dragged down her body.
Roderick is about to embark on his new journey, but his wife Charlotte's depression has become a burden for him.
In order not to affect his reconnaissance work, he insisted that Charlotte stay in Lyme Town for recuperation, and he paid Mary to take care of her sick wife.
Although Charlotte repeatedly begged her husband not to leave her here alone, it did not change Roderick's decision.
When her husband first left, Charlotte was grumpy and lay in bed all day, neglecting to dress up.
Faced with the taciturn Mary, she deliberately made things difficult and ordered her, since she had taken the money, he should take her to the beach to do the sea bathing according to Roderick's request.
But when Mary actually took her to the beach, Charlotte didn't eat or drink, but just sat on the stone in a daze.
In the nineteenth century, the middle and upper classes of Europe superstitiously believed that "fresh air and sea bathing are good for people's health." In order to get rid of the depressed mood as soon as possible, Charlotte put on her bathrobe and shower cap and walked down the ladder of the beach hut, hoping that the waves would help her dispel the haze and restore her former vitality. But as soon as she stepped down the wooden ladder, she was knocked over by the big wave and fell under the ladder.
The next day she developed a high fever and fell ill in front of Mary's shop.
Mary brought in Dr. Lieberson for her and treated her.
Charlotte needed to be well taken care of, and her mother insisted that Mary send Charlotte back to London. Because they have neither money nor time to take care of a patient. But Mary couldn't be cruel enough to ignore Charlotte.
She gave up her bed and scrubbed Charlotte herself.
In order to get her recover as quickly as possible, Mary laid down her dignity to the house of her hated neighbor, Lady Elizabeth, and bought ointment to apply to Charlotte's body.
Charlotte's body temperature dropped. Her face also became a little rosier. Even Dr. Lieberson was amazed that the tough and introverted, even somewhat rugged Mary, had taken such good care of Charlotte.
After Charlotte's health improved, her temper became much more docile. After entering Mary's life, she was slowly touched by Mary's strong and tenacious character, serious work attitude, deep inner tenderness and meticulous consideration and care for her.
Mary also found in Charlotte what she didn't have. Charlotte is intelligent and beautiful, highly educated, with the elegance of the upper class, and the vision and mind of a new woman.
Every time Charlotte lay in bed, Mary couldn't help but admire Charlotte's beautiful body lines. God was so fond of her that he gave her a brilliant mind and gave her an extraordinary appearance.
Every day before Mary finishes her work, before the tide rises, the two of them will quietly admire the sea on the beach.
Charlotte liked to take off her shoes and socks and put her feet on the cool sea rocks. Looking at her jade feet, Mary's heart always had a ripple. Both people develop the same feelings for each other as lovers.
After a hard day's work, Mary had to prepare meals for them. Charlotte was bent on helping Mary, but charlotte was always helping more and more.
Years of depression coupled with the sense of security Mary gave her, made her unload her burdens and cry and vent all the grievances of these years.
The relationship between the two people is more intimate. Charlotte began to slowly learn about Mary's work, touching her inner world.
Mary's mother once gave birth to ten children, but the hardships of life made them die one by one. The departure of each child has greatly tormented the mother's spirit. She asked Mary to carve an ornament for each of them. After a busy day, Mary would always accompany her mother to wipe these ornaments to ease her inner pain.
Despite the hardships of life, Mary never thought of changing their status quo through marriage. Relying on the skills taught by her father, she devoted all her energy to collecting and processing fossils.
During his visit to Charlotte, Dr. Lieberson slowly developed a crush on Mary. He extended an invitation to Mary to attend a musical recital he held at home in the evening. But Mary insisted on attending with Charlotte, who loved music.
The two men made elaborate dress-ups. Charlotte also painted Mary's makeup and sprayed perfume. But mary, who has a reclusive personality, is really not used to such occasions.
When the seductively dressed Charlotte attracted much attention at the concert, and Mary felt snubbed, she left the concert early and returned home in the rain.
Mary recorded the loss in her heart at that moment in her diary. Charlotte couldn't find Mary and braved the rain to rush home.
Seeing the words in Mary's diary, Charlotte stopped caring about her ladylike education and expressed her love to Mary.
Every morning after that, Charlotte would take off her gorgeous costume and go to the beach with Mary to dig up fossils. They polished together and searched together. Charlotte admired Mary's professional talents, but was also worried that she was exhausted from her daily work and did not get recognition.
She praised mary's professionalism and outstanding achievements to the men who came to buy fossils to raise the price of the goods.
The hard work to earn the affirmation of a lover was incomparably happy for Mary.
Living in Lymes with Mary was Charlotte's happiest time. Mary gave her a lot of things that her husband hadn't given.
But this kind of day is broken with the husband's letter. The two men were separated.
Not long after Charlotte left, Mary's mother also left her due to a long-term illness.
Mary, who had lost her lover and mother at the same time, finally shed her disguise and shed tears in front of Elizabeth. At this moment, the two people resolve the contradiction, open their hearts, and accept each other.
Elizabeth encouraged Mary to cherish her friendship with Charlotte. Mary was so stoic, and her emotions were hidden so deeply that those who cared about her felt left out in the cold.
Charlotte sent a letter from London. Roderick is out surveying, and she wants to take Mary to the British Museum to see the fossils of ichthyosaurs she has excavated. She invited Mary to london to live with her.
Mary missed Charlotte and wanted to see her eleven-year-old masterpiece again. After dressing up, she boarded a passenger ship bound for London.
The sumptuous and spacious rooms, the exquisite interior accessories, and the maid's service on the side are all out of place for Mary's living environment.
While Enjoying the comfortable life that Roderick gave her, Charlotte was also bred by him as a canary in a golden cage. I have a stable life, but I have also lost my freedom and vitality.
Like the fossil roderick bought from her, it was placed in a beautiful cupboard, but it was also signed with the name of the man of the room.
Charlotte was overjoyed to have mary come to London. She had already prepared a comfortable room for her and made a beautiful dress. Mary no longer had to worry about her livelihood, she could concentrate on the study of ancient fossils, rather than the hard work of fossil collection and processing.
Mary did not feel the surprise charlotte had brought her, but felt insulted. Does she want to keep Mary in captivity as her pet too? Or is Mary just a pet in her heart for her to play with?
Mary declined Charlotte's invitation and refused to stay at Charlotte's house for the night. She found a hotel for herself. After seeing the Ichthyosaur fossil at the British Museum, she would leave London and return to the small town of Lyme.
Portraits of these fossil finders hang on the walls of the museum. None of them were female researchers. When she saw Mr. Henry's signature on the fossil label of the Ichthyosaur in the display case, Mary's heart was like a knife.
At the other end of the display case, Charlotte watched Mary's every move with deep silence. She couldn't forget the days she lived with Mary in Lyme Town. Charlotte's empty, lonely heart found peace in Mary.
Mary's greatest attachment was the ichthyosaur specimen she had excavated when she was eleven years old. And Charlotte is infatuated with the thoughtfulness and care that Mary gives her, but after being together for so long, who of them has really seen each other?
The moment when two people look at each other through the display case may be the moment when they present themselves as true selves, and they observe and know each other equally comprehensively. The moment love ends, it starts again.