Thomas Hardy's tragic novel tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield, a poor country girl whose family learns they may be descendants of the noble d'Urberville line. Sent to claim kinship with the wealthy Stokes, Tess is seduced by the rakish Alec d'Urberville, bearing a child who dies in infancy. She later marries Angel Clare, but when she confesses her past on their wedding night, he abandons her for Brazil. Facing poverty and hardship, Tess reluctantly becomes Alec's mistress. When Angel returns, repentant, Tess murders Alec and briefly escapes with her true love before being arrested and executed, symbolizing society's cruel judgment of women.
