Margaret Hale and her parents are forced to leave their idyllic life in the south when Mr Hale resigns from the clergy and the family move to the northern town of Milton.

Margaret has a secret to tell her friend Bessy. Tensions rise as the workers strike over pay, and Margaret is caught between the workers and their employer when she steps in to try and protect Thornton from violent strikers.

Thornton is heartbroken and humiliated, but at least the strike is over. Margaret travels to London to see the Great Exhibition, and Thornton is there on business. Frederick arrives at his mother's bedside as she dies.

Margaret's father dies and she goes to London to live with her aunt. Thornton is in debt and the mill is in financial difficulty. When Margaret inherits her godfather's fortune, will she and Thornton finally acknowledge their love for one another?