While preparing for the date, her dress and jewelry vanish while she is in the shower she is lured to the attic by strange noises and locked inside, and is mysteriously let out the next morning. Malcolm, the local deliveryman, stops by often, and Greta learns that the real Brahms was killed in a fire 20 years ago on his eighth birthday. She regularly calls her sister, who tells her that Greta’s abusive ex-boyfriend Cole has been trying to find out where she is. The Heelshires coach Greta on taking care of Brahms and their house while they are on holiday leaving her a list of strict rules to follow, including reading to Brahms in a loud, clear voice and playing loud music for him.
Upon her arrival, the couple introduce Greta to her charge: a lifesize porcelain doll named Brahms that they treat like their son. Greta Evans, an American from Montana, travels to the United Kingdom after being hired as a nanny by the elderly Heelshires.
