This is the story about a ten-year-old girl, Mary Lennox, who was born in India to a wealthy British family at a time when the British ruled India. As was common at that time among the aristocratic British elite, her parents left her upbringing to their household servants, while the parents attended parties and events. Tragically, an epidemic of cholera was sweeping the area. Not realizing the danger, her parents continued their lifestyle, while Mary Lennox, feeling tired and a bit sick, crawled into her nursery and slept for a long time. When she woke up, nobody was there, not even the servants who had been attending to her all the time. Mary was alone until searchers going through the house found her there. They explained to her that her parents had both died of the cholera epidemic. The household servants had all died too, except for a few who had survived by running away. It was found that Mary had a wealthy uncle who lived in England. Mary was sent by boat to England to be with him. The uncle, Mr. Archibald Craven, had been married, but his wife had died ten years ago while being in a garden. As result, the garden had been sealed up with high walls on all sides. Neither a door nor a key could be found. Now what was the secret of the garden and why was nobody allowed inside? This is the question that forms the plot to the book. New York City's Central Park has a formal garden called The Secret Garden on the South Side of Conservatory Garden. It is a garden of mixed herbaceous borders in wide bands around The Secret Garden Water Lily Pool, dedicated in 1936 to the memory of Frances Hodgson Burnett, with sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh. The sculpture is said to depict her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon, with Dickon playing his pipe. The entrance is at Fifth Avenue and 105th Street.