The action is set in the sixties of the last century, a time of the bold, the free, the independent - and the lonely. The Otis family of Americans is eager to start a new life in old England, the heir to Canterville dreams of getting rid of the family castle, Sir Canterville himself, even as a centuries-old ghost, craves power over everyone in his sight. All of them are deeply unhappy, though they don't want to admit it. And no one, except little Virginia, a feisty girl with a detective's mojo, wants to do anything to bring peace back into the house. Only when Virginia goes into the dead garden with the ghost of Canterville seeking forgiveness for his soul will her family unite in the search for the missing child and finally realize how far apart they have all been, how little they understand each other, and how important they are to each other.