'Life is an oasis which is submerged in the swirling waves of sorrows and agonies.' Drunk and angry, Michael Henchard sells his wife and daughter to a passing sailor. When he sobers it is too late to put right his actions. After years of sobriety and prosperity, Henchard's past returns to haunts his hopes of a happy future. Hardy's novel is a tragic masterpiece, beautifully constructed and filled with Hardy's most stunningly descriptive writing.