Horace B. Otis, a wealthy American, purchases Canterville Chase, an ancient English manor-house, despite warnings that the house is known to be haunted. He moves into the house accompanied by his wife, his eldest son, his daughter Virginia, and his two younger twin sons. The phantom tries to frighten the Otis family, but to no avail.The Canterville Ghost is a humorous short story. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, and it has been adapted for the stage and screen several times.