Lord Robert Crawley and his family live a life of leisure, while a fleet of servants, including butler Carson, attend to their every need. But two events conspire to shake things up: the sinking of the Titanic, which claims Crawley's heirs, and the return of his valet, Bates. Since Crawley and Lady Cora have three daughters, his distant solicitor cousin, Matthew, becomes heir to the estate. With that, the scheming begins, since Thomas the footman views Bates as an interloper and Crawley's mother, Violet, feels the same way about Matthew's mother, Isobel.

特别篇开始，Mary（米歇尔·道克瑞 Michelle Dockery 饰）已经怀孕，一家人到苏格兰Rose家度假，留在庄园的Tom（艾伦·里奇 Allen Leech 饰）在Isobel和新女仆Edna的劝说下和众仆人打成一片，令管家Carson（吉姆·卡特 Jim Carter 饰）颇为头痛。没有了主人的仆人们似乎生活更加轻松和随意。众人一起去了集市，而Jimmy对Thomas（罗伯·詹姆斯-克里尔 Rob James-Collier 饰）的态度也有所好转。杂货店老板Joss似乎对Patmore太太有着别样的感情。Gregson为了让Crawley一家接受他对Edith（劳拉·卡尔迈克尔 Laura Carmichael 饰）的感情也来到了Rose家，而Robert（休·博内威利 Hugh Bonneville 饰）发现老友一家似乎也面临了财政问题。终于，Mary平安生下儿子，Matthew（丹·史蒂文斯 Dan Stevens 饰）去医院看望完妻儿，欣喜地向家人报喜时，他的车不幸与一辆货车相撞......

Revival of the iconic '70s series. Portrayal of life in a London townhouse in 1936, where the fates of the servants "downstairs" and their masters "upstairs" are intimately linked.