Plot
Mary Lenox (Kate Maberly) is the neglected child of a wealthy English couple living in India during the early 20th century. Her mother and father never wanted her, and only care about themselves. One night during one of their frequent parties, an earthquake occurs and both of Mary’s parents are killed in the destruction.
Six months after the incident, Mary is sent by ship to Liverpool, England, where she is picked up by Mrs. Medlock (Maggie Smith), the strict housekeeper of Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire. Mrs. Medlock explains to Mary that her aunt died before she was born. Mary did not know this because her parents spent no time with her. She doesn't know how to look after herself, as her needs were always met by her ayah back in India; nor has she learned to cry. Upon her arrival at the Manor, she hears someone crying from a distant room, but all of the servants tell her differently. On her first night at the manor, she discovers a secret door in her room that leads her to the abandoned rooms of the manor (one being the room of her late aunt, who is also her mother's twin sister). Mary later meets Martha Sowerby (Laura Crossley), the manor's cheerful, youngest servant, with whom she quickly becomes friends. Martha tells Mary that her uncle, Lord Archibald Craven (John Lynch), would like to see her sometime, although Mrs. Medlock denies this fact too. Lord Craven frequently travels away from home because his wife died during the birth of his son, Colin Craven (Heydon Prowse), as he is unable to overcome his loss; it is thought to be a curse that is laid upon Lord Craven.
The next day, when Mary is out in the fresh air and the local gardens, she discovers another hidden garden behind some overgrown ivy. One of the gardeners, Ben Weatherstaff (Walter Sparrow), tells her that there is no entrance because it was meant to be shut it off by Lord Craven after the death of his wife. Mary, driven to find out more about the garden, remembers a key she found in her late aunt’s bedroom, and discovers it fits the lock to the hidden door. One night after dreaming about her mother for the first time since coming to England, she hears the crying from the distant room she heard before. Determined to find out where the crying is coming from, she discovers the room that belongs to her sickly cousin, Colin Craven, who is the master of the house during Lord Craven's absence. Colin, who lives in bed, is unable to walk and has a morbid obsession with death, believes he will become a hunchback like his father.
Colin and Mary get to know each other very well. His windows are boarded up because of his belief that the light and "spores" outside can harm him. When Mary decides to pull them down with the help of Martha’s brother, Dickon Sowerby (Andrew Knott) (whom she met earlier when she discovered the door to the secret garden), Colin falls out of his wheelchair onto the floor, launching a terrible tantrum. It is revealed that Medlock keeps Colin concealed from Mary as she is convinced Mary is capable of killing Colin if she goes anywhere near him. Soon, Mary persuades Colin that the fresh air is safe, and she and Dickon take him outside in his wheelchair to see the secret garden that they have been trying to restore. Mary and Dickon ultimately teach Colin to stand up and walk, but they decide that Lord Craven should be the first to see Colin walking, so they conceal the secret from Medlock and the others.
After Medlock states that Colin is gravely ill, she forces Mary and Colin to be separated, locking Mary in her bedroom. Mary however escapes from her room through the second door behind a tapestry. Then she takes Colin and Dickon to the garden to perform magic at night, barefoot. The magic causes Lord Craven to have a dream about his late wife in the secret garden with Colin. Alarmed and terrified, he rushes back to Misselthwaite Manor to find him. Lord Craven goes into the secret garden to find Colin walking quite well now. With Mary (certain that no one wants her anymore) running away, Lord Craven persuades her that she is truly a wanted person. Soon, Mary has learned to cry for the first time, and Lord Craven has regained his sense of humour and laughter. Upon their return to the Manor, Medlock and the other servants are amazed to see Colin walking back independently with Mary and Lord Craven.
The film ends with Dickon riding over the Yorkshire countryside on his horse, as the world zooms out around him. Mary speaks of her uncle's learning to laugh, and her learning to cry... and that the whole world is a garden.
Read more about this topic: The Secret Garden (1993 film)
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—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)