Sense and Sensibility is set in southwest England, London and Kent between 1792 and 1797, and portrays the life and loves of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, two daughters of Mr Dashwood by his second wife. They have a younger sister, Margaret, and an older half-brother named John. When their father dies, the family estate passes to John, and the Dashwood women are left in reduced circumstances. The novel follows the Dashwood sisters to their new home, a cottage on a distant relative?s property, where they experience both romance and heartbreak. The contrast between the sisters? characters is eventuall resolved as they each find love and lasting happiness. This is how Elinor and Marianne find a balance between sense and sensibility in life and love.