A Tale of Two Cities: Summary
The year is 1775, and social ills plague both France and England. Mr. Jarvis Lorry is going to Dover to meet the girl Lucie Manette. He tells her that she is not an orphan in the world, as this was told to her from a young age. Lorry says to her that he will travel with her to Paris, where she can meet her father. He also tells that her father Doctor Manette has recently been released from the Bastille, Paris, where he was kept for 18 years. Doctor Manette is presently at the house of Defarges’ family, where they are running a wine-shop. Her father has lost his memory due to some reason. But, he starts regaining it when he meets his daughter and then they went back to London.
After five years, Charles Darnay is accused in London due to a charge for providing English secrets to the French. Then the dramatic appearance of Sydney Carton, who is looking very much similar to Charles Darnay, precludes the positive identification and hence allows Darnay’s acquittal. Actually Darnay, Carton, and Stryver all love Lucie Manette. Although they are making efforts to impress her, she favors Charles Darnay and then marries him after. Carton returns back to her house alone and declares that without condition, he would do anything for her in the future. Darnay unknowingly gives hint to Doctor Manette of his concealed identity. He reveals to his father-in-law on his wedding day that he belongs to a French nobleman family and he also tells about his title.
Meanwhile, In France, Darnay’s uncle, Monseigneur, was murdered due to having charge of crimes against the French poor people. It means that Darnay is also in the same line as he inherits the aristocratic title. At the urgent request of Gabelle, a servant of his family and he has been arbitrarily imprisoned, Darnay returns to Paris. There he is arrested being a rich nobleman and was sent to jail there.
A spy John Barsad goes to the Defarges’ wine-shop to find the evidence regarding whether they are revolutionaries or something else. Spy finds a truth that Madame Defarge is having a list of those whom she and the other revolutionaries intend to kill.
Doctor Manette, Miss Pross, Lucie, and her child all are going to Paris to save Darnay. Their doctor is almost successful by using his power among the revolutionaries and old prisoners of Bastille. But, the ruling regime opposes him, and Defarges once again denounces Darnay. Madam Defarges makes a strong charge against him in court on the basis of a letter as evidence. She found this document written as a letter by Doctor Manette during his imprisonment in the Bastille. This document reveals a fact that Manette was arbitrarily imprisoned by the Evrémondes in rape and murder case. Then after Darnay is brought back to prison and sentenced to death.
Sydney Carton traveled to Paris due to his selfless love with Lucie Manette. He decides for sacrificing himself to save her husband’s life. He forces for the help of John Barsad, who recognized him as Solomon Pross, as the dissolute brother of Miss Pross. Carton gets the information that Defarges are planning to kill Lucie and her child. He also finds a fact that Madame Defarge is the surviving sister of the peasant girl. Evrémonde family had raped her.
Carton makes the arrangement for the Manettes to leave immediately. He uses his influence with Barsad to get entry into the cell of Darnay. He gives drugs to Darnay and then exchanges places with him, and Barsad carries Darnay out of the prison safely.
Madame Defarge goes to Lucie’s place to arrest her, but the Manettes have already left the place safely. Instead, Miss Pross confronts her, who comes to use her gun, but accidentally she shoots herself. Finally, Darnay returns with the Manettes to London. In Paris, Carton dies on behalf of Darnay at the guillotine.