AllMovie

A handsome working man living in a small village in the south of England finds his romantic overtures to a beautiful, newly arrived schoolteacher challenged by a barrage of wealthy suitors in this tale of rural romance that launched the career of writer Thomas Hardy. Fancy Day is a woman of striking beauty who comes from a wealthy family background. Dick Dewey is an honest working man who longs to win the heart of the lovely newcomer. Though his sincere efforts to win Fancy over are received with encouraging grace by the kind-hearted schoolteacher, Dick soon finds that he's not the only man in town attempting to win her hand in marriage. Reverend Maybold, Farmer Shiner, and a local landowner are also hoping to charm Fancy to the alter, and even if Dick does manage to out-charm the rest, there's no guarantee that Fancy's father will even give approval to the union.