Masterpiece Theatre presents this adaptation of George Eliot's Victorian novel, starring Emily Watson as Maggie, a woman whose independence and intelligence puts her at odds with her family. Chronicling eight years in the life of Maggie's family, as Edward, her father, struggles to keep the family mill in business and her brother Tom grows up to be a respected and stern young man. However, adversity soon strikes the family, as their mill is taken over by a neighboring businessman, whose son falls in love with Maggie. Bolstered by Ms. Watson's star turn, George Eliot's dense novel is brought to breathtaking life.