As fierce mobs riot in the streets of London, the decent and sincere Geoffrey Haredale forges a strange alliance with the dishonest John Chester. Their aim is to prevent the marriage of Haredale's niece Emma to Chester's honorable son Edward, selfishly using the violence around them to their advantage. Meanwhile, unintentionally drawn into the mayhem is the half-witted Barnaby Rudge, whose past is interwoven with a mysterious unsolved murder. In this tale of blackmail, betrayal, and bloodshed, Barnaby must fight to clear his name and escape his hopeless fate.