Robert Moore locks himself in Hollow's Mill, awaiting new machinery that will replace his laid-off workers.

Robert's machinery wagons are intercepted and smashed by workers at Stilbro' Moor before reaching the mill.

Caroline Helstone and Robert share a warm evening reading Coriolanus together at Hollow's Cottage.

Robert withdraws from Caroline the morning after their evening together; she resolves he does not love her.

Reverend Helstone brings Caroline to Fieldhead to meet the new estate owner, Shirley Keeldar, and her governess Mrs. Pryor.

Shirley lends Robert money to keep his failing mill open and enters a business partnership with him.

A mob of workers storms Hollow's Mill; Robert and his allies repel the attack, but several men are killed.

Caroline falls gravely ill with fever and Mrs. Pryor moves in to nurse her through the illness.

Mrs. Pryor locks the door and tells Caroline she is her long-lost mother, who fled an abusive husband.

Caroline first meets Louis Moore, Robert's brother, during a tea visit to Hollow's Cottage with Hortense.

Robert suddenly departs for London without explanation, leaving the town baffled about his relationship with Shirley.

Robert is shot from his horse near Briarfield by a gunman avenging the workers Robert had arrested.

Young Martin Yorke secretly arranges for Caroline to visit Robert alone in his sickroom at the Yorkes' house.

Louis confesses his love to Shirley in the schoolroom; she admits she loves him in return.

Robert proposes to Caroline; both couples marry on the same day in a ceremony at Briarfield.

Shirley follows Robert Moore, a mill owner whose business is threatened by Luddite unrest, and Caroline Helstone, a young woman secretly in love with him. Financial pressures and social convention keep them apart, and when the wealthy Shirley Keeldar arrives and partners with Robert, the town assumes the two will marry, devastating Caroline. A violent night attack on the mill, Robert's mysterious departure for London, and his near-fatal shooting mark the story's most dramatic turning points. Throughout these upheavals, Caroline discovers her long-lost mother and slowly grows in confidence while Robert learns to value love above money. The novel ends with both couples united: Robert with Caroline, and Louis Moore with Shirley Keeldar, married on the same day.

The headline story of mills, riots, romance, and marriage.

Reverend Helstone admonishes the noisy curates and warns them about hostile worker Mike Hartley, who targets Robert.

Barraclough leads workers to demand Robert abandon his mill; Robert refuses and has Barraclough arrested by a waiting constable.

William Farren appeals calmly to Robert for mercy; Mr. Hall later visits Farren at home and offers him a loan.

Caroline asks Reverend Helstone about her parents' marriage and her mother's whereabouts; he dismisses her questions entirely.

Caroline visits the town's unmarried women, Miss Mann and Miss Ainley, and reconsiders her harsh earlier judgments of both.

Caroline tells her uncle she wants to work as a governess; he dismisses her ambitions as foolish and refuses.

Shirley and Caroline become fast friends despite their class differences, bonding over shared views on marriage and independence.

Shirley launches a charitable fund for the poor of the parish and enlists Caroline and Miss Ainley to help.

Mr. Donne disparages Yorkshire's people after Shirley's donation disappoints him; she opens her garden gates and orders him out.

The Whitsuntide parade runs into a procession of religious dissenters, who are frightened by the noise and scatter.

On Whitsuntide night, Shirley and Caroline sense danger; armed men march past the rectory before the dog scares them off.

Shirley's cousins the Sympsons arrive for a hunting party at Fieldhead, ruining the planned summer trip with Caroline.

Caroline visits Hortense for tea and defends herself in a sharp argument with Mrs. Yorke about women's proper roles.

Robert returns to Hollow's Mill for the first time since his shooting and asks Hortense to invite Caroline to tea.

The narrator visits Hollow's Mill years later and finds the once-green countryside now covered in roads and cottages.

Beyond the central romance, Shirley is populated by a vivid community of workers, clergymen, and neighbors whose actions shape the story at every turn. Worker unrest begins with the arrest of the ringleader Barraclough and the quiet dignity of William Farren, establishing the human cost of Robert's decisions at the mill. Caroline's attempts to find purpose — seeking governess work, visiting local women, and joining charity efforts — reveal the narrow choices available to women of her class. Shirley's arrival injects energy into the community through her charitable ambitions and her readiness to challenge rude or sexist men. Social gatherings like the Whitsuntide celebration expose the tensions and everyday comedies of life in Briarfield, culminating in the dangerous night of the riot. The novel closes with a glimpse of Briarfield years later, raising quiet questions about the true cost of industrial progress.

The community, friendships, and everyday struggles shaping the story.

Robert and Helstone argue about war and religion on the road; they meet Yorke, who has already rescued the men.

Robert privately resolves that his growing feelings for Caroline must be suppressed, as marrying her would be financially ruinous.

Caroline spots Robert and Shirley walking together at night and concludes that Robert must be falling in love with Shirley.

Robert greets Caroline coolly at Fieldhead and hides from Helstone when he appears; Caroline fears Robert will marry Shirley.

Joe Scott argues with Shirley about whether women should discuss business matters; both sides use the Bible to defend themselves.

Mrs. Pryor warns Caroline against becoming a governess and confides the story of her own deeply unhappy marriage.

Caroline reflects that single women deserve better opportunities and blames fathers and legislators, not God, for women's limited choices.

Mr. Sympson demands Shirley marry a chosen suitor; she vehemently refuses, vowing she will only ever marry for love.

Shirley secretly confesses to Louis that she was bitten by a dog thought to be rabid and fears going mad.

Louis writes in his private journal about his love for Shirley and notes that Caroline would be a perfect match for Robert.

Robert confesses to Yorke that he proposed to Shirley for her money before leaving; she rejected him and lost all respect for him.

Martin Yorke jokes to Caroline that Robert is likely to die soon; seeing her horror, he reveals Robert is actually recovering.

Caroline reveals to Robert that Shirley is in love with his brother Louis, not with him.

Mr. Sympson discovers Shirley and Louis alone together; Louis throws Sympson out of the house after Sympson insults Shirley.

Trade blockades are lifted, reviving Robert's business prospects and enabling him to propose to Caroline for love rather than money.

Beneath the main plot lies a series of private turning points and hidden revelations that define each character's journey. Robert's decision to suppress his love for Caroline, and the later exposure of his mercenary proposal to Shirley, reveal his deepest flaws and his eventual moral growth. Caroline's growing awareness of women's limited choices, and her fear that Robert will choose Shirley for her fortune, fuel her quiet emotional evolution throughout the novel. Shirley's fierce refusals of unwanted suitors and her secret confession of a rabid dog bite to Louis expose the private vulnerabilities beneath her commanding exterior. Louis's journal writing and the carefully concealed truth of his feelings for Shirley build slowly toward the novel's emotional climax. The clearing away of misunderstandings — who Shirley truly loves, what Robert genuinely feels — and the lifting of trade blockades finally allow the story's four protagonists to claim happiness.

The decisions, revelations, and emotional shifts that drive each character's arc.