The first episode introduces three women who made an indelible impact on Dickens.

The first episode introduces three women who made an indelible impact on Dickens: his not-so-doting mother, Elizabeth; his long-suffering wife, Catherine; and his elusive mistress, the young actress Ellen Ternan. The program chronicles Dickens'childhood from his birth in 1812 and examines the influences on his life, focusing on a crucial, devastating turning point. When the family fell on hard times, debts began to accumulate and they were forced to flee from place to place. After his father was thrown into debtors'prison, 12-year-old Charles was sent to work at a factory. He emerged from that harsh experience determined to achieve wealth and fame, and with the seeds of his most autobiographical novel, David Copperfield, already planted in his rich imagination. At age 24, he published his first major work of fiction, The Pickwick Papers, as a monthly serial.