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 nonetheless. His fiancE 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.