This is a tragic tale of a young woman named Tess who comes from a poor family in rural England. Tess is sent to work for a wealthy family, where she is seduced by a man who abandons her after she becomes pregnant. The baby dies, and Tess is ostracized by her community. She falls in love with a kind man, but when she confesses her past, he rejects her. Desperate and heartbroken, Tess murders her former seducer and is eventually captured and executed. The novel explores themes of fate, injustice, and the oppressive sexual morals of its time.

This novel tells the story of Jude Fawley, a working-class young man who dreams of becoming a scholar. The traditional class structure in 19th-century England prevents him from realizing his dream and his only solace is his love for his cousin, Sue Bridehead. Their scandalous relationship and the tragic events that follow form the heart of the narrative, which explores themes of love, class, religion, and morality.

Set in the rural backdrop of Little Hintock, the novel delves into the intertwined lives of its inhabitants, where class and social ambition complicate personal relationships. At its heart is the story of Grace Melbury, who, despite her education and refined upbringing, finds herself torn between her marital commitment to the superficial Dr. Edred Fitzpiers and her lingering affection for her childhood love, the loyal and steadfast woodsman Giles Winterborne. The narrative explores themes of unrequited love, social mobility, and the inexorable forces of nature, as characters navigate the rigid Victorian social structure and the wild, untamed woodlands that both sustain and overshadow their lives.