The setting is the lush English countryside. We are at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Three sisters lose their father, coming into financial straits because of their sister-in-law's greed. The chain reactions generated by the sudden poverty will profoundly affect their lives, even in the most private sentimental aspects. Jane Austen builds a powerful emotional current around two of the sisters, using the first, Elinor, as the embodiment of "reason" and the other, Marianne, of "feeling." The tension between these two equally powerful forces allows Jane Austen to weave an unforgettable story that has been beloved by readers since it was first published two centuries ago in 1811.