1812. As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, the province of Yorkshire suffers the first industrial depression in history. Times are hard, both for employers and workers, who, threatened by the advent of machine tools, foment a revolt.
Robert Moore is one of those industrialists whose spinning mills are running on empty. His shy cousin, Caroline, is in love with him. But Robert is too preoccupied with riots and financial troubles to consider such an unprofitable marriage. He instead considers Shirley Keeldar, a young heiress who has just moved to the city. Lively and enterprising, "Captain Keeldar"—as she lets herself be called—is brimming with ideas for investing her money, wanting to help both Robert and the poorest workers.
Convinced that a wedding is in the making, Caroline becomes sick with frustration. She doesn't understand why her friend rejects good matches, treats her servants like familiars, and has so little regard for her former tutor, Robert's brother. Robert is considering closing his factory to start a new life in Canada. A rebellious worker's bullet will put an end to this plan...
Published in 1849, Shirley is one of the first examples of a social novel. It is also a disguised portrait of Emily Brontë, the author's sister, who had died the previous year.