Tess Lohan appears to be a quiet child but, within, lies a heart of fire. This fire propels her from her native Ireland into the hurly-burly of 1960s New York. In this city, she will face the twists of a life graced with great beauty, but forever floating close to hazard. The story journeys through six decades. The Sunday Times has described it as being "packed with emotional intensity".

 

Independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community.