Growing up in Yorkshire, the daughter of a deceased clergyman, Maggie Browne is encouraged to devote herself to her brother, Edward, upon whom their widowed mother dotes. Through the example and guidance of her mentor, Mrs Buxton, Maggie learns that self-sacrifice is the key to living a fulfilled life. How much personal happiness will she forgo in the name of duty and devotion to her brother?

"The Moorland Cottage" was originally written in 1850 as part of a Christmas edition and is the precursor to, and arguably the template for, George Eliot’s "The Mill on the Floss". Depicting the struggle of a strong-minded Victorian woman, torn between her dreams and her duty towards her family, Gaskell’s novel engages with a multitude of contemporary issues – yet Maggie’s love story, Edward’s perfidy and the dramatic conclusion at sea, make "The Moorland Cottage" a timeless tale.