Eleven-year-old Tabitha Crum, whose parents were just about to abandon her, is invited to the country estate of a wealthy countess along with five other children and told that one of them will become her heir.
Hans, a foundling raised by a grave robber, and Countess Angela Gabriela, nearly thirteen, embark on a quest to discover Hans' true identity end to save Angela's parents from the evil archduke whose castle Angela has escaped.