Silas Marner is a grumpy weaver who is obsessed with making a lot of money. After he is accused of theft his fiancee leaves him, and he has little use for other human beings especially those who are religious. Later someone steals a large bag of cash he has kept in his home making his life more miserable. As the years pass, Silas adopts a young girl Eppie whose mother has died in a drunken stupor, and he becomes a compassionate human being again.