Maia is an orphan living and studying in the Mayfair Academy for Young Ladies in England. However, word comes from Mr. Murray, a lawyer and her guardian, that he has found her relatives who are willing to take her in, called the Carters. Along with a governess, Miss Minton, Maia goes by sea to Manaus, Brazil. On the ship, she befriends a boy named Clovis King, who is traveling in the acting troupe run by his adoptive parents, the Goodleys. He wishes to go back to England, to his foster mother, but the Goodleys won't let him. Maia promises that she will go and see his play once in Brazil.