Seventeen-year-old Catherine 'Cat' Morland has led a sheltered existence in rural Dorset, a life entirely bereft of the romance and excitement for which she yearns. So when Cat's wealthy neighbours ask her to accompany them to the Edinburgh Festival, she is sure adventure beckons. Edinburgh initially disappoints, but at a Highland dance class Cat meets Henry Tilney, a pale, dark-haired gentleman whose family home, Northanger Abbey, sounds perfectly thrilling. When Henry's father, the rigidly formal General Tilney, invites Cat to stay at Northanger Abbey with his family, Cat's imagination runs riot: an ancient abbey, crumbling turrets, secret chambers, ghosts ... and Henry! What could be more deliciously romantic? But Cat gets far more than she bargained for in this isolated corner of the Scottish Borders ...