The Return of the Native Summary

In an unexpected turn of events, a man named Diggory Venn rides into the heath, carrying a distraught Thomasin Yeobright in his wagon. Her planned nuptials with Damon Wildeve have been thwarted due to a mistake in the marriage license, a mishap we soon discover was orchestrated by Wildeve himself. Wildeve's affection for another woman named Eustacia Vye, and his manipulation of Thomasin to incite jealousy in Eustacia, is known to Venn. Venn, who secretly loves Thomasin, attempts to meddle, hoping to convince Eustacia to permit Wildeve to marry Thomasin. However, his efforts prove fruitless.

Clym Yeobright, Thomasin's cousin and the child of a stern widow also named Mrs. Yeobright, enters this complicated love triangle. Eustacia views Clym as her gateway from the oppressive heath and preemptively decides to fall for him, subsequently ending her liaison with Wildeve. Wildeve, now free, marries Thomasin. Eustacia and Clym are brought together by chance and her scheming, resulting in their marriage despite disapproval from Mrs. Yeobright. Wildeve, upon hearing of the marriage, starts yearning for Eustacia again, in spite of his wedded status to Thomasin.

After marrying Eustacia, Clym grows distant from his mother, and soon enough, from his wife too. Eustacia's aspiration to relocate to Paris clashes with Clym's desire to start a school locally. Wildeve, now wealthy due to an inheritance, starts spending more time with the discontented Eustacia, a fact noted by the ever-watchful Venn. This illicit relationship culminates in a tragic incident, where Clym's mother succumbs to heat and a snakebite after being turned away by a panicking Eustacia, who feared being caught with Wildeve. The fallout from Mrs. Yeobright's death leads to the separation of Eustacia and Clym. In the height of a storm, as Eustacia plans to flee the heath with Wildeve's help, both she and Wildeve tragically drown. Venn, however, manages to save Clym. The story concludes with an eventual marriage between Thomasin and Venn, while Clym, affected by his trials and impaired eyesight, becomes a roving preacher, treated with skepticism by the local community.