Sir Simon de Canterville has been playing to an empty house for twenty years when American billionaire inventor Hiram Otis buys Canterville Chase in England, taking contents and ghost at valuation.

Sir Simon steps up his efforts to terrorise the Americans but the vulgar Colonials still refuse to be frightened; when the Otis' are challenged by Lady Deborah to host a local cricket match, it looks set to be a royal embarrassment.

No longer the haunter but the hunted, Sir Simon is reduced to creeping around the house; after Hiram receives news that his company has crashed, Lucy is determined not to wallow in the loss of their fortune and resolves to host a Christmas Ball.

Virginia steps into the fourth dimension where she must appear in court and defend Sir Simon; the twins follow clues through a secret tunnel underneath Canterville Chase; the adults launch a search party for their missing children.