S1, E1: Based on Jane Austen's own letters and diaries this drama unravels the secrets of the elusive novelist. Approaching her fortieth birthday, Jane appears happily unmarried displaying all the assured wit and charm of her novels' young heroines. Yet when asked by her young niece Fanny to help her vet potential husbands, Jane's confident composure is threatened as she finds herself looking back on her own potential suitors and the choices she has made.