Despite trying to piece together their broken lives after their tragic loss of Tess, the Durbeyfield family find that the fates have turned against them once more.As a direct result of Alec d’Urberville’s death, they are faced with eviction from their home. Liza-Lu, desperate for a solution, seeks help from her brother-in-law Angel Clare. Mindful of his promise to Tess to watch over Liza-Lu, Angel invites her to Emminster to stay at the vicarage with a view to coming up with a plan to help. Following the arrival of Angel’s half-sister Martha, events soon change for the worse, and Liza-Lu’s life is turned upside down.William Sawyer, the solicitor for The Slopes estate, intervenes, and what follows is a struggle against injustice and cruelty amidst the background of a harsh legal system. Taking place over a period of eighteen months, the lives and destinies of Liza-Lu, William, Angel, and William’s sister Caroline, become inextricably bound together as they encounter a series of startling and dramatic events.