The gentle Mr. Allworthy raises the foundling Tom Jones as if he were his own child. When his benefactor learns of his shameful behaviour as a young man, he is expelled and forced to leave the mansion. He leaves in complete despair because he no longer has any chance of winning Sophia's hand. However, she is also compelled to leave her parents' house because of an unfavourable marriage, and their journeys and lives are intertwined.