Transformation and redemption of a curmudgeonly Earl comes through the innocence of a poor boy living in New York City during the late 1800's. Devoted to his American mother, who has never been recognized by her aristocratic British father-in-law, Cedric Fauntleroy is summoned to England to assume the mantle of future Lord of the manor. Beguiling all he meets with his selflessness and goodness, he becomes the vehicle for reconciliation between his mother and grandfather, while rekindling the true meaning of "noblesse oblige" in his lineage.