Falsely accused of the theft of the congregations funds by his treacherous friend, Silas is cast out from the congregation at Lantern Yard. Having lost faith in both God and his fellow man, he heads south with his life in tatters, until he eventually settles in a small village called Raveloe. There, he lives as a recluse until his life is transformed one cold wintry night, by a little girl who he finds in his home, asleep in front of the hearth.