S01E01 Part One
Michael Henchard, in a drunken rage, auctions his wife Susan and infant child to a passing seaman. Realising his folly, Henchard makes an oath to avoid alcohol for twenty-one years, prospering as a grain-trader and...
At a country fair, young hay-trusser Michael Henchard quarrels with his wife Susan, and in a drunken fit decides to auction off his wife and baby to a sailor for five guineas. The next day, realising his loss, he swears not to touch liquor again for as many years as he has lived so far. Eighteen years later, Henchard has become Mayor of Casterbridge, a man well respected but not well liked. The unexpected return of his wife and daughter Elizabeth Jane sets off a turn of events that force him to face the consequences of his selfish impulses and violent temper.