Spots 
Parson Tringham informs John Durbeyfield that his humble family descends from the noble d'Urbervilles. The news turns Durbeyfield's head, inspiring him to celebrate at the local tavern instead of attending to his trade. This revelation plants the seed of ambition in Marlott.
At the Marlott May-Day dance, Tess Durbeyfield joins the local maidens in traditional white dresses. Angel Clare passes through the village and dances with several women, but fails to choose Tess. Their eyes meet briefly before he leaves, creating a silent memory that lingers.
Tess finds her parents drinking at Rolliver's inn, absorbed in fantasies of their aristocratic lineage. Joan Durbeyfield conceives a plan to send Tess to claim relationship with wealthy relatives nearby. Family responsibility falls upon Tess as her parents abandon their duties.
Driving a cart of beehives in the dark, Tess falls asleep beside her young brother Abraham. The family horse, Prince, is impaled by the shaft of a mail wagon and bleeds to death on the road. Devastated by guilt, Tess views herself as a murderer.
Driven by remorse over Prince's death, Tess travels to Trantridge to meet the d'Urbervilles. She encounters Alec d'Urberville, whose family bought the historic name to obscure their nouveau-riche origins. Alec forces strawberries upon Tess and secretly plots to retain her near him.
Joan Durbeyfield receives a letter offering Tess a job managing poultry at Trantridge. Her mother dresses Tess in fine clothing to highlight her beauty and entice Alec. Tess departs with foreboding, acting out of obligation to repair her family's finances.
Alec d'Urberville collects Tess in his high gig for the journey to Trantridge. He drives at terrifying speed down steep hills to force her to hold onto his waist. Tess manages to dismount and walks the remainder of the way on foot.
Tess begins her work tending fowls in the cottage grounds at Trantridge. Alec repeatedly interrupts her chores, attempting to win her favor and forcing her to practice whistling to bullfinches. His persistent unwanted attentions create constant distress.
Tess visits the old, blind Mrs. d'Urberville to demonstrate her care for the prize poultry. She learns that Alec's mother cares only for her birds and remains oblivious to her son's behavior. Alec uses the visit to trap Tess into further private interactions.
Returning late from a fair in Chaseborough, Tess gets embroiled in an argument with Car Darch and other drunken villagers. Alec arrives on horseback and offers her an escape from their harassment. Tess accepts the ride to avoid violence, unaware of his ulterior motives.
Alec deliberately leads his horse into the fog-dense woods of the Chase until they are lost. Leaving Tess asleep on a bed of dead leaves, he returns to take advantage of her helplessness. This violation permanently alters the course of Tess's life.
Tess leaves Trantridge early in the morning to walk back to Marlott. Alec overtakes her on the road and offers financial support, which she steadfastly refuses. She rejects his offers of marriage and insists on taking responsibility for her own fate.
Back in Marlott, Tess hides from the gaze of her neighbours, attending church only in twilight. Whispers and cold stares from the villagers reinforce her sense of social exile. Her mother laments the lost chance of a wealthy marriage rather than offering comfort.
Tess works alongside field hands in the corn harvest while caring for her sickly baby, Sorrow. When the infant falls terminally ill, the local vicar refuses a Christian burial. Tess baptizes the dying child herself in her bedroom before burying him in an unmarked plot.
Months after Sorrow's death, Tess resolves to break free from the shadows of her past. She prepares to leave Marlott and seek employment far to the south. The prospect of fresh surroundings rekindles her spirit and determination.
Tess journeys across the hills into the lush, sunlit Froom Valley. The fertile landscape of the Valley of the Great Dairies contrasts sharply with the gloom of her former home. Hope returns as she approaches Talbothays Dairy.
Arriving at Talbothays Dairy, Tess meets Dairyman Crick and joins the crew of milkmaids. She discovers that Angel Clare, the young man from the May Day dance, is living there to learn agriculture. Angel does not immediately recognize her, giving Tess a chance to start anew.
Angel Clare rejected his father's wish for him to enter the Church of England due to doctrinal doubts. Choosing a career in farming instead, he came to Talbothays to gain practical skill. His refined nature and intellectual independence earn him respect among the dairy workers.
Milking cows during the foggy hours before sunrise creates a quiet world shared by Tess and Angel. Surrounded by dew and early light, they converse about philosophy and nature. Angel begins to regard Tess not merely as a country girl, but as a pure, spiritual presence.
As summer peaks, the heat intensifies the emotional warmth between Tess and Angel. They walk together through damp meadows and lush riverbanks, drawn closer by shared stillness. Tess falls deeply in love while silently dreading the shadow of her past.
Dairyman Crick tells a humorous tale of Jack Dollop, a man who hid in a butter churn to escape a woman he misled. The story fills Tess with panic that her own secret history will be exposed. Angel notices her sudden distress but misinterprets its cause.
During an afternoon milking session, Angel impulsively embraces Tess in the dark cow-shed. Surprised by the passion of the moment, Tess yields briefly before pulling back in confusion. Both realize that their romantic connection has reached a point of no return.
A sudden rainstorm floods the lane leading to church, trapping Tess and three fellow milkmaids. Angel carries each woman across the deep water in his arms, holding Tess last and longest. He whispers his love to her, leaving her torn between joy and apprehension.
On a hot evening in the dairy, Angel officially asks Tess to marry him. Deeply conflicted by her lingering guilt and affection, Tess initially refuses his proposal. She struggles between her desire for happiness and her duty to reveal her past.
A rural woman struggles against social hypocrisy, tragic chance, and rigid double standards in Victorian England.