Tess Durbeyfield is a young, poor woman living in a village in Southern England. However, she is very beautiful and young men start to notice her. One day, her lazy and drunk father is informed by the village minister, Parson Tringham that he is related with an old wealthy family, D'urbervilles. Smelling easy money, Tess' parents encourage Tess to visit D'urbervilles estate. The house was inhabited only by a blind widow and her son, Alec D'urbervilles. After Tess tells Alec about her relation with him, he mockingly addresses her as cousin and later invites her to work for them. Tess is reluctant to accept, but her mother insists. Tess soon realises they are not actually related and she is trying hard to escape Alec's insistent advances. One fatidic night she fails in her resolve, without really knowing what happened and from there her life becomes a nightmare. There will be glimpses of happiness but that moment will mark all her ultimately unhappy life.