The Elm Creek Quilters are as surprised as anyone when their beloved matriarch, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson, marries her sweetheart, Andrew, at a festive holiday gathering at her ancestral home on Christmas Eve. Eager to celebrate the union, her friends decide to create a beautiful wedding quilt to warm the newlyweds' home and hearts.

A secret with such good intentions, they reason, couldn't possibly do anyone harm. But although the quilting retreat established at Elm Creek Manor is a place where quilters share their creativity, their challenges, and their dreams, somehow in their haste to find a way to honor the wisdom, skill, and devotion of their favorite master quilter, they forget that sometimes secrets drive friends apart instead of drawing them closer. As financial troubles, relationship struggles, and unexpected opportunities beyond Elm Creek Quilt Camp test the bonds of friendship, the quilters must find a way to stitch together more than Sylvia's Bridal Sampler to make a happy ending.