Silas Marner, a member of a small Calvinist congregation in Lantern Yard, is wrongly accused of theft and has no choice but to move to a faraway village.

For 15 years he lives alone, hoarding the money he makes from his weaving and gaining a reputation as a recluse.

Marner's life changes dramatically one Christmas season, when his gold is stolen and a mysterious woman dies in the woods outside his cottage.