Synopsis

Maria-sama ga Miteru is based on a series of novels by Konno Oyuki, about girls who attend Lillian Girls' Academy, a Catholic school.

Lillian Academy's Student Council is called the Mountain Lily Council. The Council is composed of three girls, each of whom takes a flower title: Rosa Gigantea (white); Rosa Sinensis (red); Rosa Foetida (yellow).
Each Rosa can take a junior, referred to as 'Rosa ... en bouton' [burgeoning rose]. Each 'en bouton' is allowed to pick a junior, referred to as 'Rosa ... en bouton petite soeur.' The usual pattern is a senior student as Rosa, a second-year student as 'en bouton' and a first-year student as 'petite soeur' [little sister].

The heroine of the story, Fukuzawa Yumi, is a cute first-year student at Lillian Academy, who is also the 'petite soeur' of Sachiko (the 'Rosa Shinensis en bouton'). The series is based around the lives of the other Mountain Lily Council members.