England in the early 19th century. Fanny — a girl from a poor family — finds herself in the estate of her wealthy relatives, where she lives and is raised for several years and enters her youth. It is believed that the very fact of being in such an exclusive society opens up broad prospects for Fanny, but in reality she is a powerless dependent, and she has no prospects at all. Her abilities are underestimated, and her opinion is disregarded. All she can hope for is to become a companion for some wealthy lady, that is, to become someone else's shadow. Even a beneficial marriage will not allow young Fanny to freely choose her path in life if that marriage is not for love.
Thus begins the novel of the famous English writer Jane Austen (1775—1817), appreciated by many generations of readers for the psychologically accurate portrait of the main character, whose image is quite typical for her era.
