On January 26, 1905, Maria Augusta Kutschera was born just before midnight on a train en way to Vienna. Her mother died when she was two years old, and her father decided to leave her with an elderly cousin so he could travel. Without any siblings or other children in the house, she had a lonely and rigorous upbringing. She was raised as a communist and atheist, with a critical attitude toward all religions. Her mind was altered when she heard the words of a well-known priest, Father Kronseder, during a visit to a church to hear a Bach concert.

After meeting him, she decided to become a nun and entered a monastery. She was taken away from the outdoor activities she used to like while devoted to the convent life. Maria's doctor, concerned about her worsening health, assisted the nuns in making the decision to send Maria to the home of retired navy captain Georg Von Trapp to be governess to his bedridden daughter. Maria and Georg married on November 26, 1927.

After that, the rest is history.