The villagers of Ravelo had the weaver Silas Marner marked as a miser but the only thing golden about Silas Marner was his heart. Silas Marner is a modest weaver accused of stealing the congregation's funds. The thief may really be Silas' best friend, William Dane, who has framed him but Silas is found guilty none-the-less. His fiancé abandons Silas and later marries William Dane. And so, it is with a broken heart, that Silas leaves his home and heads south. He lives as a recluse hoarding gold from his earnings. That too is stolen by the son of the town's leading landowner. But a child soon enters Silas's life and changes it completely.