Far from the Madding Crowd.

A woman inherits a farm in rural England and chooses to run it herself. She hires workers, manages the fields, and learns the demands of each season. Three men take notice. One is a shepherd who once knew her family. Another serves as a soldier and appears at local events. The third owns land nearby and keeps to a quiet routine. The story follows the course of these attachments as they unfold against the work of the farm. It records the weather, the labor, and the choices made day by day.