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Nan Hardwick lives with her uncle and aunt, the Pargetters, on a small farm near the Severn. It is 1810, and Nan is marked by gossip because her father was hanged for stealing a sheep. Her aunt never lets her forget it.
On the day of a small party, Nan is pushed and provoked until she snaps. Her coat, the one her father gave her, is ruined, and she finally says out loud what life in that house feels like: constant humiliation dressed up as charity.
Nan confides in Jenny, her cousin, and admits she loves Dick Gurvil. For a moment, it feels like a way out. When Dick arrives early, he flirts, romances her, and asks her to marry him. Nan is terrified of her past catching up, but she believes him when he promises to claim her publicly.
Then Nan is betrayed. Mrs. Pargetter corners Dick, reveals Nan’s background, and threatens him with poverty and disgrace. Dick caves and agrees to marry Jenny instead. Nan is publicly shamed, and she confesses the truth about her father to everyone.
Later, the real truth arrives: officials announce her father was innocent, and Nan is given fifty pounds as compensation. The money does not heal anything. Nan sees clearly how cheaply her life, her love, and her father’s death have been handled.
Dick comes back once Nan is “cleared,” trying to win her again. Nan understands what he is: a man who wants her when it costs him nothing. She chooses to stop him, stabs him, and walks out as the tide comes roaring up the river.