A painting is given to a girl as a birthday present by her wealthy and enigmatic aunt. A world-renowned artist has painted only a small gold leaf and promised to add to the canvas each year on the birthday of the owner of the "Work of Life" painting. A friendship unexpectedly develops between the temperamental artist from New York City and its owner, a seemingly ordinary girl living on Long Island. As they both mature, their annual encounters affect and even change each others' lives in ways no one could have predicted or imagined.