Taken from the poverty of her parents' home in Portsmouth, Fanny Price (Billie Piper) is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with her cousin Edmund (Blake Ritson) as her sole ally.

Fanny gradually falls in love with Edmund, but during her uncle's absence in Antigua, Mary Crawford (Hayley Atwell) and her brother Henry (Joseph Beattie) arrive in the neighbourhood bringing with them the glamour of London life and a reckless taste for flirtation.

As her cousins Maria (Michelle Ryan) and Julia (Catherine Steadman) vie for Henry's attentions, Fanny watches in despair as her beloved Edmund succumbs to Mary's charms. Fanny now has to fight for her family and her one true love.