Mistress Masham's Repose

Ten-year-old orphan Maria finds herself a lonely and neglected ward in the decaying grandeur of Malplaquet, a sprawling, forgotten English estate. Her cruel governess, Miss Brown, and her avaricious guardian, Mr. Hater, conspire to make her life miserable, seeing her only as an impediment to their own selfish desires. One day, during her explorations of the neglected grounds, Maria stumbles upon a fantastical secret: a thriving community of Lilliputians, descendants of the original inhabitants of Gulliver's Travels, who have made a secluded island in the estate's lake their refuge. These tiny, cultured beings, led by a wise Professor and a pragmatic Queen, are initially wary but eventually form a bond with Maria, who becomes their protector. However, their hidden world is threatened when Mr. Hater and Miss Brown discover their existence, sparking a desperate struggle between Maria and her miniature friends against the greed and cruelty of her guardians, who seek to exploit the Lilliputians for profit and fame.