Jane Eyre is the story of a young, orphaned girl (shockingly, she's named Jane Eyre) who lives with her aunt and cousins, the Reeds, at Gateshead Hall. Like all nineteenth-century orphans, her situation pretty much sucks. Mrs. Reed hates Jane and allows her son John to torment the girl.

The Professor is the story of a young man, William Crimsworth. It describes his maturation, his loves and his eventual career as a professor at an all-girl's school. The story is based upon Charlotte Brontë's experiences in Brussels, where she studied as a language student in 1842.