A manuscript is discovered purporting to be the work of Charlotte Bronte. The manuscript, both remarkable and surprising, offers a darker, alternative ending to the story of Jane and Mr. Rochester in the classic Jane Eyre. Freed from the constraints of Victorian modesty and subservience, D. M. Thomas' modern 'Jane Eyre' is sexually and politically enlightened, but also troubled and sometimes cruel. Jane's damaged personality resonates at the centre of this haunting book. D. M. Thomas uses the basic elements of Jane Eyre to tease the tangle of Victorian melodrama into a new form. By transporting the action to modern day Martinique, he examines the changing patterns of slavery and colonialism. Pursuing the unforgettable characters of Jane and Rochester through time, D. M. Thomas brings them into focus for the modern reader.