The story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene ( ), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak ( ), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy ( ), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood ( ), a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba's choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love - as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance.

Dennis Clegg is in his thirties and lives in a halfway house for the mentally ill in London. Dennis, nicknamed "Spider" by his mother has been institutionalized with acute schizophrenia for some 20 years. He has never truly recovered, however, and as the story progresses we vicariously experience his increasingly fragile grip on reality.