This is a story about a spoiled English girl named Mary who grows up in India with her mother and father.
Her parents ignore her, so her Ayah, or nanny, mostly takes care of her.
However, cholera begins infecting the people of the house, killing nearly everyone except Mary.
Mary is then taken to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven, a lonely man who lives in a large mansion near a moor and travels often.
Mary is instructed to stay in her room by the headmistress, Mrs. Medlock.
Mary meets Martha, a servant girl with a thick Yorkshire accent.
Mary expects that Martha will do everything for her, but Martha tells her that she has to learn to do things by herself.
Mary is bored of the mansion since there is no one around.
She explores the surrounding gardens and discovers a secret garden with no entrance.
She learns that her uncle used to go there often with his wife, but since her death many years ago, he's locked it up, buried the key, and doesn't allow anyone to talk about it.
