In the 1930's, Maria, a high-spirited novice in an Austrian convent, is sent to the ancestral home of the widowed Baron von Trapp to care for his seven children. Appalled by the stern discipline the baron enforces, Maria teaches the children games and encourages them to lead the happy life of normal youngsters. Maria's violation of his orders so angers the baron that he decides to discharge her; but when he hears his children singing songs taught them by Maria, he has a change of heart. As time passes, the baron falls deeply in love with the young woman, and he asks her to become his wife. Maria returns to her convent, obtains permission from her mother superior to renounce her vows, and becomes the Baroness von Trapp. Encouraged by a neighborhood priest, Dr. Wassner, Maria and the children begin singing for charity, and before long they have a huge following. Soon after the Nazi annexation of Austria, the baron is dispossessed of his fortune, and he and his family emigrate to the United States. Their music attracts little attention at first, and disappointment follows disappointment, but critical acclaim and large audiences eventually come. Encouraged, they buy a farm in Vermont and decide to remain in their adopted country.