When orphaned young Maria Merryweather arrives at Moonacre Manor, she feels as if she's entered paradise. Her new guardian, her uncle Sir Benjamin, is kind and funny; the Manor itself feels like home right away; and every person and animal she meets is like an old friend. But there is something incredibly sad beneath all of this beauty and comfort - a tragedy that happened years ago, shadowing Moonacre Manor and the town around it - and Maria is determined to learn about it, change it, and give her own life story a happy ending. But what can one solitary girl do?