An American family named Otis moves into an old English mansion called Canterville Chase. The owner, Lord Canterville, warns Mr. Otis about the house being haunted. But that does not deter the family, who do not believe in ghosts. But when the notorious Canterville Ghost makes his appearance, the family is not afraid at all. In a role reversal, the ghost is scared after scaring people for more than three hundred years. The ghost considers it a great insult that the American family is not scared of him. He hates them all, except the teenaged Virginia, who is different from the rest of her family. Virginia encounters the ghost at the end of the novel, and accepts his plea for help to lift the curse on him. At the risk of her own life, Virginia travels with the ghost to another dimension, and helps him to finally rest in peace.