Adapted from a popular young adult novel by Katherine Paterson, Jacob Have I Loved is set during World War II and is concerned with two fraternal twin sisters: Louise (played by Bridget Fonda), plain but robust, and Caroline (played by Jenny Robertson), prettier and more delicate. In sixteen-year-old Louise's eyes, Caroline has long been the favorite of the family, and Louise resents both her family and her sister for this. There's certainly good reason for this: the stronger Louise works hard, helping out in the family's seafood business, while Caroline whiles away the time with music lessons and the like. Louise wants to go out on the boats with her father, but this isn't permissible, and she considers saving her money and getting away from the island where she is so trapped. Her life changes, however, when an old sea captain returns to the island and she strikes up a friendship with him that teaches her a great deal.
~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide