The Good Earth Summary

In a rural, historical Chinese setting, Wang Lung, a young, impoverished farmer, weds a 20-year-old slave named O-lan from the influential Hwang family. Although their relationship is not characterized by extensive verbal communication and despite Wang's initial disappointment in O-lan's lack of bound feet, the two share a mutual satisfaction in their union. Together, they successfully work the land, and their prosperity increases with the birth of a son and the acquisition of land from the declining Hwang family. However, Wang's newfound wealth draws the attention of his covetous and indolent uncle, who exploits societal customs to gain financial aid from Wang, even though he squanders the assistance on vices.

Following the birth of a daughter, the land experiences a devastating famine. Amidst this crisis, O-lan delivers another daughter, whom she tragically kills due to the insufficiency of food. The situation forces Wang to relocate his family to a southern city for the winter, where they scrape by through begging and rickshaw transport work. The desperate circumstances even lead Wang and O-lan to contemplate selling their surviving daughter into slavery. Nevertheless, an opportunity arises when a mob loots a wealthy man's house, allowing Wang to acquire a stash of gold coins. Returning home with their spoils, Wang reinvests in farming while O-lan retains two pearls from her own loot. However, they discover that their eldest daughter has severe cognitive impairments.

Wang's fortunes flourish as he hires laborers to tend his vast lands. But when a flood instigates a period of idleness, he becomes discontented and fixates on O-lan's physical flaws. He develops an obsession with a prostitute named Lotus, whom he eventually buys to be his concubine. Upon O-lan's terminal illness, Wang is filled with regret and acknowledges her invaluable contributions to his life. To mitigate the incessant demands of his exploitative uncle, Wang manipulates them into becoming opium addicts. After O-lan's demise, Wang's sons resist his life plans for them, indicating their lack of passion for farming and the land. With the arrival of a young slave, Pear Blossom, as another concubine, Wang is ensured care for his disabled daughter post his death. However, familial conflict persists, culminating in his sons' decision to sell the family land against Wang's vehement objections, marking a complete detachment from the land that brought them prosperity.