Having left Thornfield, a heartbroken Jane finds herself alone, penniless and starving on the moors.

Utterly exhausted, she lies down in a final act of surrender to the elements.

However, she's rescued by local clergyman St John Rivers who, together with his sisters, Diana and Mary, nurses her back to health. The family are poor, but intelligent and spirited. Jane forcefully represses all memories of Rochester's desperate attempts to make her stay and resolves to begin a new life as the parish teacher.

A year passes, and Jane's school has improved beyond measure when St John Rivers announces he has been looking into her past. He's discovered she is an heiress. He also learns of her disastrous relationship with Rochester and proposes marriage to Jane and a life of companionship as a missionary.

Torn over her decision, Jane thinks she hears Rochester call out her name and knows she must go back to Thornfield. But what she finds there is shocking – nothing is as it was and, finally, the secrets of the North Tower are laid bare.