In 1947, Mary Lennox is found abandoned in her home in British
India, her parents having died from cholera and she is forgotten in the turmoil
of partition. Mary is sent to her uncle, Lord Archibald Craven's
Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire, England. She is an unpleasant,
unkind young girl who has had to repress her own emotions whilst growing up in
the Raj.
Upon arriving, she meets Mrs Medlock, a strict and firm lady who
is Lord Craven's housekeeper and servant. Mary is instructed to not explore the
house and is confined to her room at night. There, she meets Martha, a servant
who is unsettled by her demands.
Mary is allowed to leave the house to explore the estate and
woods nearby and stumbles upon a stray dog whom she names Jemima. Later that
night, she hears tiny screams and wailings throughout the corridors only to
find Lord Craven's bedridden son, Colin Craven.
The next day, Mary meets Lord Craven in his study and he tells
her to not cause any trouble. Mary continues exploring through the forest and
finds a hidden garden by climbing a wall. Later, on the way home, she calls out
to Martha's brother Dickon who fades within the mist of the moors. Later she
finds Jemima's leg caught in a trap. She helps Jemima, freeing her from the
trap but the dog runs away into the garden. So, Mary continues to explore.
Mary is then guided by a Robin to a stone statue within the
garden which has a key to the garden within it. She leaves the garden as Mrs
Medlock calls out for her. Back at the estate, Mary meets with Colin again as
he talks about having a hunchback and not being able to walk. She tells him
about the garden on the estate but Colin is uninterested. Snooping around
later, she finds a room with pictures of both Mary's mother and Grace Craven,
and she grabs a souvenir, a pearl necklace.
The next day, Mary returns to the garden to find Dickon, who
offers to help heal Jemima. Mary then brings Colin in his wheelchair for the
first time to the same room with his mother's pictures and dresses. Both Mary
and Dickon hatch a plan to bring Colin to the garden, hoping to heal his
immobility, but upon returning, Mrs Medlock confronts Mary for stealing the
pearl necklace and she is punished by being signed up for a boarding school.
Later, confined and locked in her room, Mary finds letters between her mother
and aunt in a rocking horse. She persuades Colin to read them and the three
continue reading letters in the garden.
A depressed and distracted Lord Craven, while lighting a candle,
sets the desk on fire. The next morning, Mary, Dickon and Colin are in the
garden when they see black smoke coming from the house. Colin persuades Mary
and Dickon to run to check it out. Mary enters the burning house to find Lord
Craven frantically looking for his son in the fire. She tries in vain to
convince him to escape as his son is safe outside, but he resists until the
ghost of his wife guides them out safely as the fire brigade arrives. An
anxious Lord Craven and Mrs Medlock go with Mary and Dickon to Colin in the
secret garden. Lord Craven gazes in awe at his son's mobility as they rekindle
their relationship.
The film ends with Lord Craven rebuilding the estate and Mary,
Dickon and Colin having fun in the secret garden.
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