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==Plot==
General Toda Rai, the [[Rajput]] ruler of a [[princely state]] in the [[Himalayas]], invites the Congregation of The Servants of Mary to establish a school and hospital at Mopu, a dilapidated palace situated on a high cliff. Several monks previously failed to start a school there; the general's agent {{Nowrap|Mr Dean}} describes the social and environmental difficulties the sisters will face. The ambitious Sister Clodagh is appointed Sister Superior and is sent with four other nuns: Sister Philippa for gardening; Sister Briony for the infirmary; Sister Blanche, better known as "Sister Honey", to teach lace-making; and the emotionally unstable Sister Ruth for general classes. Mr Dean is unimpressed and predicts the women will last only until the beginning of the monsoon.
While setting up the convent, the sisters face difficulties with the old palace and also the local population, often clashing with the native caretaker, Angu Ayah. They have difficulty accepting a Hindu holy man in their grounds (the general's uncle) who spends all his time in meditation on one of the mountains. The sisters take in Kanchi, a local girl, to try and control her erratic behavior, and they also tutor the general's heir—referred to as the Young General—in Western culture prior to a trip to Britain. Ayah whips Kanchi for stealing, but the Young General stops her. He soon falls in love with Kanchi, creating a situation that Mr Dean compares to the tale of ''[[The King and the Beggar-maid]]''.
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