Downton Abbey--a sprawling Edwardian mansion and park nestled in the lush North Yorkshire countryside--needs an heir. A tragedy at sea has claimed the life of the presumed heir, and Lord Grantham is faced with the possibility that the house he's loved his whole life might one day belong to a distant cousin he's never met. Before he can worry about that, he must deal with his scandalous daughter, Lady Mary, who many believe to be the rightful heir to Downton. Even the staff have opinions: while many are devoted to the family, there are others whose selfishness and scheming do more than disrupt the well-oiled workings of the estate. As hundreds of years of British aristocratic privilege are battered by the tides of social upheaval and technical progress, as World War I looms, what does fate have in store for Downton? How will the troubles of its family--above and below stairs--be resolved? Or will life be altered so dramatically that its master no longer matters?