The story takes place in England in the 1940s. World War II has taken a great toll on the expansive Ducal estate of Malplaquet. The heavy "war taxes," combined with generations of willful and extravagant spending by the owners of Malplaquet have left Maria, the present owner, impoverished, and her onceproud estate is a crumbling ruin.

Maria's parents have been killed in a tragic auto accident, leaving their only child in the care of a guardian, Mr. Hater (also the local Vicar) and the governess, Miss Brown, who may or may not be a distant relation. The only other people Maria sees on a regular basis are Mrs. Noakes, the cook, and the Professor, who lives in a small cottage on the outskirts of her great estate. Maria, Miss Brown, and Mrs. Noakes are reduced to living in only a few rooms of the enormous palace. The rest...