On 28 April 1876, Leopold, His Grace the 3rd Duke of Albany, is a stifled dreamer. He has created a design for a primitive elevator, and has built a small model of this device. His strict Uncle Millard has no patience for what he sees as Leopold's frivolous interest in the sciences and new inventions, having brought him to New York City in order to marry a wealthy American heiress, as the Mountbatten family is heavily indebted. When Millard chastises him for disrespecting the Monarchy, and the Peerage as a whole, Leopold counters that his uncle's ideals of nobility are outdated, and true worth is found in those who pursue initiatives.