When her father takes his family to an industrial mill town, the pastor's daughter, Margaret Hale, struggles to adjust to her harsh new environment. The daughter of a citizen parson, Margaret Hale enjoyed a privileged upbringing in the rural south of England. When her father summons the family to work in the northern mill town of Milton, Margaret is horrified by the grime, noise and sullenness of the people, but retains her highest disdain for charismatic mill owner John Thornton.