Orphaned into cold charity at the hands of her rich cousins and, later, at Lowood Asylum, Jane escapes to take up a position as governess to the young ward of Mr. Rochester. Their love affair, Jane's discovery of Rochester's secret-hideously concealed in the attic of Thornfield Hall-and her desperate flight, are told in a drama of passionate intensity whose pace never slackens.

Jane Eyre is a love story with a happy ending, rare in its time for its sympathetic portrayal of the love of a married man for another woman. It is, as Thackeray said, 'The masterwork of a great genius'.