The Mill on the Floss was first published in 1860. It tells the story of Tom and Maggie Tulliver, who grow up at Dorlcote Mill on the River Floss. The novel opens in the late 1820s when the central character, Maggie Tulliver is 9 years old. She has a complex relationship with her older brother Tom, and she has a romantic relationships with Philip Wakem, who has a high intellect and a sensitive personality. However, he is a hunchback and a marriage with him is not acceptable to the family. Life is further complicated with Stephen Guest, fiance of Lucy Deane, a cousin of Maggie.The relationships explored in the novel are deep and complex.