在英国一个很小的村庄里,有两个有世仇的家族,一个是守旧的希尔克里斯家族,一个趋向进步的赫布诺斯家族,两家因为观念相左,经常发生冲突,然而希尔克里斯家的女儿吉儿,却与赫布诺斯家的儿子查尔斯相爱,二人陷入家族的矛盾旋涡中。最后,从家庭纷争演变到家庭灭亡的灾难。他们的爱情又将如何收场呢?A rich family, the Hillcrests, is fighting against the speculator, Hornblower, who sends away poor farmers to build factories on their lands. When Mrs. Hillcrest finds out that Chloe Hornblower was a prostitute, she uses this secret to blackmail the speculator and force him to stop his business.