Mary, born in British India to British parents, wealthy but negligent. After both parents passes away in a cholera outbreak, Mary is sent to England to live with her uncle in Yorkshire.

Frances Hodgson Burnett, who wrote the book, was born in Manchester but emigrated early to the United States. By the time she wrote The Secret Garden, she was back in England. She lived in Great Maytham Hall, which provided the inspiration for the book with its rose garden. The book, written in the early 20th century, deals with a variety of topics, such as class, gender, imperialism and disability.