With no training as a footman, the awkward former hotel waiter Alfred Nugent has two inescapable facts that impact his life downstairs: his exceptional, unconventional height, and his relation to O'Brien. As Sarah O'Brien's nephew, he benefits from her protection...until he suffers from it. Either way, he muddles on, largely oblivious, preoccupied with trying to live up to Carson's demands and to catch the attention of the pretty new kitchenmaid, Ivy.