The story is set in medieval England, in a small Buryshire village. At the center of the story is the Bury family. Matthew Bury, owner of the largest farm in the village, is a serious and influential man. Jane Warleigh, a young and beautiful woman, becomes his second wife, even though she is much younger than he is. Jane Warleigh had to marry Matthew Bury because of her family's difficult financial situation. Her parents, Agnes and William, owned a small farm that went into debt due to crop failures and high taxes imposed by the local lord. Matthew Bury, as a wealthy and influential landlord, offered to pay off the Warleigh family's debts in exchange for Jane's hand. The desperate parents agreed to the deal, seeing it as the only way to save the family. Jane Warleigh, a young and beautiful woman, becomes his second wife, even though she is much younger than he is. Her beauty and youth arouse the interest of both Matthew and his son, Antony. The story shows the daily life of the villagers, their work in the fields, rituals and traditions. Family and love dramas play out in the background, and the Buryshire village becomes the arena of numerous conflicts and dilemmas.
