Having suffered from losing both parents, all five Bennet sisters have separated across England, having to take up professions when Mr. Collins took possession of Longbourn. Securing a post in Milton, an industrial town in the North, Elizabeth travels with a family called the Hales. Her close friend is their daughter, Miss Margaret Hale, and they both are suffering from being uprooted from their homes, and the comforts of the South. When going there, Elizabeth is surprised to find that her past has followed her there. Unsettled from Elizabeth's rejecting his offer of marriage, Mr. Darcy took a trip to Milton, to visit his friend, Mr. John Thornton. While there, he discovers that bad first impressions are contagious! Mr. Thornton, like Mr. Darcy, has a habit of meeting a lady with less than welcoming habits. This time, it is towards Elizabeth's friend, Miss Margaret Hale. Here comes Book One of the tale that unites the characters of Jane Austen's 'Pride & Prejudice' and Elizabeth Gaskell's 'North and South'!