Plot Synopsis

After losing her fiance in World War I, teacher Sarah Burton returns to her childhood home in South Riding, Yorkshire, where she faces obstacles in her career, politics, love and the recession as she champions the eradication of disease, poverty and ignorance through greater governmental intervention in the 1930s. Upon her return, Sarah applies for the job of headmistress at the struggling local girl's school. At the same time, landowner Robert Carne returns to work the family farm after losing his wealth in the Great Depression. When he is forced to pay for family medical bills, Robert travels to Manchester looking for work instead of selling the family estate, and he has a chance meeting with Sarah, which begins their romance. As social improvements move forward in South Riding, Robert faces ruin after a principled stand against political corruption, and Sarah is forced to confront a crisis -- both personal and professional. PBS aired the U.S. premiere of SOUTH RIDING on Sunday May 1, 2011 at 9pm ET as part of MASTERPIECE CLASSIC, and showed the remaining episodes on the subsequent Sundays -- May 8 and May 15 -- at 9pm ET.