The Secret Garden opens by introduc- ing us to Mary Lennox, a sickly, foul-tem- pered, unsightly little girl who loves no one and whom no one loves. At the outset of the story, she is living in India with her par- ents—a dashing army captain and his frivo- lous, beautiful wife—but is rarely permitted to see them. They have placed her under the constant care of a number of native servants, as they nd her too hideous and tiresome to look after. Mary’s circumstances are cast into complete upheaval when an outbreak of cholera devastates the Lennox household, leaving no one alive but herself.