Maria Augusta was sent as a young novice to look after the large family of the widowed Baron von Trapp. She brought little with her, besides her guitar and the gift of happiness. With the zest inherited from her native Tyrol she transformed the gloomy restraint of the Salzburg house into a place of music centred around the church festivals. When the Baron fell in love with her, Maria married him with the blessing og the convent. When the Nazis invaded Austria, Maria led the whole family to safety in a dramatic escape across the mountains. They began a new life in the USA, with the children performing regularly on concert platforms.