In this adaptation of Flora Thompson's memoir of her Oxfordshire childhood, Laura Timmins leaves the Oxfordshire hamlet of Lark Rise for a job in the market town of Candleford, where her cousin, the effervescent Dorcas Lane, serves as postmistress.
The residents are captivated by a beguiling, barefoot girl called Cinderella Doe, who is searching for a man named Jeremiah Mears.
A handsome stranger arrives in Candleford to open a new hotel, and while several residents are quickly taken with him, others are suspicious of his motives.
Dorcas battles with James Dowland for a place on the parish council, Alf relies on Twister's help wooing Laura, and Lily struggles with the compromises she must make to settle down.
The death of Miss Ellison's father on the crumbling path between the villages ignites a family feud and competition between James Dowland and George to make the necessary repairs.
Dorcas offers to help Emma by taking in baby Annie, while Laura is taken with James's handsome new assistant - but is too shy to let her feelings show.
Dorcas is suddenly taken ill, leaving Laura to run the post office. The delivery of anonymous letters and packages adds to the pressure and awakens bad memories for Minnie.
The Timmins family faces poverty when Robert's tools disappear and he has to give up his craft. The countdown to the unveiling of the new town clock threatens heartbreak for Laura.
James's life is sent into a spin by the arrival of a rich woman from London who casts new light on his past, and a visit by Emma's father leads to revelations about the Turrills.
Alf's budding romance with milkmaid Nan creates tension between residents of Lark Rise and the neighbouring hamlet of Fordlow, while James struggles to regain Dorcas's trust.
PC Patterson enters the produce contest at the annual Harvest Festival, but faces competition from an unlikely rival, and his wife takes to her bed with a mysterious illness.
A storm stirs up a series of revelations, with Dorcas uncovering a shocking secret kept from James Dowland, and Laura Timmins tormented by the knowledge of a possible betrayal.
James Dowland is confined to his hospital bed when his son Sidney arrives in Candleford, and the local residents make every effort to welcome the youngster.
