Setting and Background

In a shabby New York City side street in the mid-1880s, young Cedric Errol lives with his mother in genteel poverty after the death of his father, Captain Cedric Errol.

Introduction of the Lawyer and Family Heritage

One day, they are visited by an English lawyer with a message from Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, an unruly millionaire who despises the United States.

Inheritance and New Life

With the deaths of his father's elder brothers, Cedric has now inherited the title Lord Fauntleroy and is the heir to the earldom and a vast estate.

Change of Environment and Education

Cedric's grandfather takes him to live in England and be educated as an English aristocrat.