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In 1879 London, we are introduced to the rich upper middle class Forsyte family. The nominal head of the family is Jolyon Forsyte, the eldest of several brothers and sisters, referred to as 'Old' Jolyon to differentiate him from his son who is referred to as 'Young' Jolyon. Unlike his cousin Soames Forsyte, who is a solicitor and whose future seems assured, Young Jolyon is a painter and looked upon somewhat askance. He is married to Frances and has a daughter June, but is also having an affair with his daughter's German nanny, Helene Hilmer, who he would like to marry. Meanwhile, his cousin Winifred, Soames' sister, is to be married to Montague Dartie. Rumors and scuttlebutt about Young Jolyon abound, however.

Young Jolyon's affair with his former nanny is now widely known and he asks his wife Frances for a divorce. Old Jolyon has become aware as well and takes his son to task for abandoning their values and their way of life. Frances for her part doesn't plan on taking this lying down and visits her husband's love nest in Chelsea to see if she can talk sense into Helene. Old Jolyon tells his son that he has to break it off completely with his mistress but the younger Jolyon chooses to take his chances. Old Jolyon as a result removes him from his will. Soames meanwhile once again visits his client Mrs. Heron and this time gets to meet her beautiful daughter Irene. He is clearly taken with her and wants to see her again. In London a pregnant Winnifred, married all of four months, finds something shocking in her husband's jacket.

Wnifred is distraught when she finds a promissory note in her husband's jacket and realizes that he owes £500. He assures her that her father will no doubt be generous when their child is born. They have a son, a few months later. Young Jolyon and Helen also have a baby boy who they call Jolly. Young Jolyon's wife Frances has refused him a divorce and she and June move to the country. Frances is killed in a riding accident however and Old Jolyon decides to take charge of June, to whom he intends to leave his fortune. Soames has taken to spending his weekends visiting Miss Heron and finally asks her to marry him. She is shocked when he professes to love her and rejects his proposal of marriage. He refuses to accept her refusal, continuing to pursue her until she eventually relents, but with conditions.

It is now 1886 and with her grandfather's permission, 17 year-old June Forsyte becomes engaged to architect Philip Bosinney. Old Jolyon sets conditions on their marriage - Philip must earn £400 a year before they can marry - but otherwise approves. Young Jolyon, who hasn't seen his daughter for eight years, is shocked and a bit upset to read about the engagement in the newspaper. Helene has been feeling unwell of late but otherwise they are very happy. Rumors abound about Soames and Irene Forsyte who, after four years of marriage, are now said to sleep in separate bedrooms. Theirs has not been a happy marriage and Irene has never been able to return the love he once professed for her. She and June have become close and at a family occasion to introduce Philip to the rest of the Fosryte clan, Philip and Irene meet. Soames begins to wonder if June may be a bad influence on his wife. He is also thinking of building a new home for himself and Irene far front he center of London.

Soames hires Philip Bosiney to build him a house at Robin Hill. He accepts the design Bosinney has come up with and the price, which is considerably more than he had planned to spend. June is over the moon now that her fiancé has a contract. She's less pleased however when she overhears Philip and Soames' wife Irene making plans for an assignation. Feeling his age, Young Jolyon's father drops him on his son unexpectedly and meets his grandchildren for the first time. Young Jolyon is sympathetic to his father assuming that he is lonely but his wife Helene is outraged that he would come to see them as if nothing had ever happened between them. Soames' sister Winifred consults him on her husband's extravagant spending - he's particularly fond of gambling on the horses. The eldest of the Forsyte clan, Anne, dies in her bed. Young Jolyon refuses his father's request that he attend the funeral but eventually relents.

Rumors abound that Irene Forsyte and Philip Bosinney are having an affair.Young Jolyon and Helene see Philip Bosinney and a beautiful woman meeting secretly. Young Jolyon had met Philip at his Aunt Anne's funeral but has no idea who the woman is. When they learn that it is Soames' wife Irene, Old Jolyon suggests that Young Jolyon should speak to Bosinney and as June's father, he feels obliged to do so. It's clear to him that Bosinney will continue his affair regardless of the impact on June. Soames meanwhile is upset at the ever increasing cost of finishing his house and tells Old Jolyon and June that he may have to seek a remedy through the courts. Old Jolyon and Soames' father James have a falling out over the issue. Irene thinks Soames is despicable and asks that she be released from her obligations to him, a condition she had imposed on him when he proposed to her.

After Soames forced his way into her bed, Irene packs her bags and has moved into a small hotel. She refuses to move in with Philip Bosinney fearing that it would ruin his career. When he learns what Soames did to her the previous night, Philip goes out in a rage but fails to return as promised. The following day is the scheduled court case between Soames and Philip but the architect fails to appear and loses the case. His disappearance is soon explained when the police inform the family that he was run over by a carriage in the heavy fog. With no place to go, Irene returns home but informs Soames that it is to be for one night only and promptly the next day, leaves his house forever.

Most everyone is upset at the death of Philip Bosinney. Young Jolyon suspects that it may have been a suicide - his cousin George Forsyte told him of his encounter with Bosinney in the street - but does his best to hide the facts as they are known to him. Old Jolyon tells his son of his plans to purchase Robin Hill and have them live together. Some four years later, Old Jolyon comes across Irene sitting in the garden. He learns that she is living on her own and teaching music. She's also involved in helping women who find themselves in difficulties. Young Jolyon, Helene and June are away in Spain and Irene becomes a regular visitor to Robin Hill and even begins tutoring Holly, giving her music lesson twice per week. For the elderly Jolyon however, the end is at hand.

It's a time of change in the for many in the Forsyte clan. Jolyon has inherited the bulk of his father's estate, with June and Irene also inheriting substantial amounts. June, now 23 years-old, decides to leave Robin Hill and find her own accommodation in London. Helene, who is not well, is convinced that she is leaving because of her. Helene's condition deteriorates rapidly from severe headaches to wild imaginings and seizures. A fall leads to internal injuries and death. Irene is shocked that she was left £15,000 in trust in Old Jolyon's will, the interest from which will provide her a very nice life. Uncle Swithin, Aunt Susan and Uncle Roger all died in the next few years. Montague Dartie has lost his shirt by betting everything he had - and losing - on a horse he co-owned with George Forsyte. He's also been having a fling with a Spanish dancer and has given her the pearls the gave his wife when they were first married. He leaves for Buenos Aires and Winifred seeks her brother Soames' advice. Val Dartie is on his way to Oxford as is Jolyon's son, Jolly. He calls on Jolyon where he meets his cousin Holly. While calling on some of his father's tenants, Soames meets Anette Lamotte and decides that he wants to divorce Irene.

Jolyon and Holly visit Jolly at Oxford and he's invited Val to dinner, even though he doesn't think very highly of his cousin. Holly however is still quite attracted to Val. Soames meanwhile is determined to have a son. He asks Irene to reconcile with him but she turns him down flat. She turns to Jolyon and also June, who has forgiven her finally after all these years, for help. Soames for his part hires a private detective to follow Irene's every move. When she travel to Paris, Jolyon visits her there and they spend a good deal of time together. He must return to Paris in haste when he receives a telegram from Jollly. With her husband still absent, Winifred pursues her divorce against her husband Montague and gives testimony in court.

Jolyan returns hurriedly from Paris, sad at leaving Irene for whom he has developed deep affection, but feeling it is important to be home now that Jolly has enlisted in the Imperial Yeomanry. June has been training as a nurse and intends to go out to South Africa as soon as they will take her. With her brother and her fiancé going to South Africa, Holly also wants to go as a nurse and Jolyon consents. James hosts a dinner party for his children, Soames and Winifred, and his grandchildren, Val and Imogen. Val informs the family that he too has joined the Yeomanry, but he doesn't tell them about Holly. Soames meanwhile receives a report from his private detective of Irene's meeting someone regularly in Paris and learns that it is Jolyan. He travels to Paris to again beg her to return to him. When she refuses, he decides to pursue the matter in the courts. Winifred is shocked when her husband, against whom she had initiated divorce proceedings, shows up on her doorstep. She decides to allow him to stay, but only according to her rules.

Irene and Jolyon are named as co-respondents by Soames in divorce proceedings but the suit only serves to draw them closer together. When the divorce is finalized, Jolyon and Irene marry and she later gives birth to a son, also called Jolyon but who they will refer to as Jon. Soames decides to retire and sells his practice to another firm. He will continue his art collection and bequeath it to the nation on his death. He proposes to Annette Lamotte who accepts. They are soon married but just as Annette goes into premature labor, Soames' father James takes a turn for the worse and is lying on his deathbed. Annette gives birth to a daughter, Fleur. Holly and Val marry in South Africa.

The story jumps ahead several years. World War I has come to an end and of the older generation, only Uncle Timothy remains. Jon has an interest in farming and his parents agree that he should go live with his sister Holly and her husband Val Dartie. June is running an art gallery - for her lame ducks, as Jolyon calls them - and quite by accident, Jon meets Fleur Forsyte, Soames' beautiful daughter. They soon realize that they are cousins of some sort but know nothing of the family feud as no one will tell them what happened all those years ago. Fleur has another admirer however, Michael Mont, though she is so caught up with Jon that she doesn't pay much attention to him. As for Jon, his father suggests that he accompany his mother on her forthcoming trip to Europe.

Fleur and Jon continue to see one another and believe they are very much in love. Their interest in their family's history, particularly the feud between their grandfathers and fathers continues to occupy much of their time but initially at least, they are unable to find out anything. Jolyon respects Irene wishes and tells Jon nothing, but June believes they have made the wrong decision. Michael Mont speaks to Soames about his interest in Fleur who is having his own marital difficulties at present. Jolyon is seeing a doctor and is keeping his medical condition a secret from everyone. When Fleur finally learns the great family secret, she enlists June to arrange for her to see Jon privately, though her plans are not what would one would expect.

Fleur meets Jon as scheduled at Holly's house and tells him that they must marry immediately or he risks losing her. She is convinced their families will never approve and his hesitation leads her to accuse him of not loving her. She doesn't have all of the facts of the family history - she thinks her father Soames and Irene were once engaged but she married Jolyon instead - and is convinced their families will stop them if they go through the normal process of a long engagement and getting their permission and so on. It leads Jon to tell his parents they are engaged and Jolyon, with Irene's permission, tells him the whole sordid tale. Jon is shocked and tells Fleur there is no future for them. Soames is having his own problems when his wife tells him that she is going to Paris to visit her mother, indefinitely.

Fleur Forsyte and Michael Mont are married - her mother is absent and still living in Paris - and for all that she was once madly in love with Jon, who has gone off to Canada and the United States and is unlikely to ever return, she seems reasonably contented. Two years later, they are still happy but have no children, which is of some concern to Soames and Michael's father, Sir Lawrence Mont. Fleur has an innocent flirtation with the poet Wilfrid Desert who is madly in love with her. As a result of his connection with the aristocratic Mont family, Soames joins the Board of an insurance company but has serious concerns about the management of the firm and threatens to resign unless he is given more financial information. Meanwhile, George Forsythe is dying and dictates his will. Michael Mont for his part holds a senior position at a publishing firm that has just sacked Bicket, a packer in the shipping room, for stealing five copies of Desert's latest book. Bicket would like nothing better than to emigrate to Australia but without a reference, can't find work and finds himself selling balloons in the park to earn a few pennies.

Wilfrid Desert tell Michael Mont that he is madly in love with Fleur and will take her away from him if the chance arises. Fleur tells her husband that he has nothing to worry about but she continues her flirtation with Wilfrid and seems to like the attention. Soames raises the issue of children with his daughter Fleur but she doesn't think there's any hurry. At the insurance company, Soames insists that they drop all foreign investments as he is convinced there will be a major downturn. He convinces the Board to withdraw from European investments given the uncertain political climate there but has his suspicions about the managing director, Elderson. His instincts prove correct. Meanwhile, Bickett's beautiful wife Victorine visits Michael Mont to see if her husband could possibly give him his job back. He can't, but finding her attractive refers her to an artist friend, Aubrey Greene, as a model. Being a Socialist, he also seeks out Bickett to see what he might be able to do for him.

Michael is told by June Forsyte in a somewhat casual way that Fleur and her younger brother Jon were once madly in love. Michael now feels that he was her second choice and that she probably has no feelings for him. Michael asks Fleur if she wants him to leave and she says no, though their relationship takes a turn when she has news for him. Bicket and his wife get boxes of second hand clothes from Michael Mont and are thrilled at their unexpected good fortune. Victorine has her first nude sitting with Aubrey Greene, but her husband is unaware what she has been doing. At the insurance firm, Soames confides in Sir Lawrence Mont about the possibility that the manager, Elderson, may have been taking bribes. When Soames and Sir Lawrence Mont inform Edelson of the allegations, he instantly fires the clerk who reported the conversation he overheard but Soames is still uneasy about the situation.

Michael Mont gets a visit from an outraged Bicket who now knows that his wife has been posing in the nude as an artist's model. He's convinced that she had to have been doing more than just posing to earn enough for their move to Australia. Soames is vindicated somewhat when he receives a letter from the manager of the insurance society, Elderson, advising him that he has fled the country. Soames insists that they hold a shareholder meeting and reveal all, even though it may have serious repercussions. Not surprisingly, the shareholders are out for blood and both Soames and Sir Lawrence face the brunt of it. Soames decides to transfer some of his fortune to Fleur and her as yet unborn child. Winnifred goes to live with Michael and Fleur as her time approaches and she gives birth to a boy, Christopher whom they will call Kit for short.

Jon now lives in North Carolina, and the beautiful Anne Wilmot is in love with him. He is a gentleman farmer growing peaches and his mother Irene is visiting. Anne's brother Francis expresses concern over Jon not publicly declaring his love for his sister and Irene tells him he was once hurt by a woman and that perhaps explains it. He needn't have worried as they are soon married. Francis Wilmot visits London and gets an invitation to stay with Fleur and Michael. The UK's first Labour government falls and Michael Mont faces re-election as a member of the Conservative party. After some nasty comments about Michael and Fleur appear in a gossip column, Soames has a go at an aristocrat, Marjorie Ferrar, who called Fleur a snob. Fleur decides to go to war but her action may put her in a position to be sued for libel.

Fleur's letters to her friends results in her being sued for libel by Marjorie Ferrar. Soames takes charge of the defense and he wants to settle the case out of court, without Fleur having to apologize. He lays the groundwork for a possible defense while also offering a compromise on the issue of the apology. The Tories win the general election and Michael Mont delivers his maiden speech in the House of Commons. He is verbally attacked by Sir Alexander MacGown, who happens to be one of Marjorie's lovers and is desperate to marry her. Michael hold his own and delivers a fine speech. MacGown is something of a brute and attacks Michael in the men's' room at the first opportunity. Francis Wilmot is quite taken with Marjorie Ferrar and asks her to marry him. He's something of an innocent in the clutches of a lioness. When he falls gravely ill, it's Fleur who goes to his bedside.

Unable to negotiate a satisfactory settlement, the libel action against Fleur Mont goes to court. Soames has laid the groundwork for a successful defence and with an effective barrister, has every hope of succeeding. Once Marjorie Ferrar is on the stand, Soames' barrister is able to demonstrate that Fleur's statement that she is without morals is quite possibly correct. Marjorie's refusal to answer a key question from the witness box seems to doom her case. Michael Mont for his part thinks the strategy is flawed and believes they may have made Marjorie and her fiancé Sir Alexander MacGown objects of sympathy. His fear proves to be correct when they begin to receive the cold shoulder from the society crowd.

Having lost her court case, Marjorie Ferrar turns to her grandfather to help settle her debts. He sets conditions however. With her court case case over, Fleur realizes that Michael's admonition was correct and they are now shunned by fashionable society. She desperately wants to leave London and go on a world tour but husband Michael feels that he cannot leave until the end of the Parliamentary session in five months time. Soames comes to her rescue. All three of them travel to Washington but when Soames sees Irene and Jon in the lobby, he withdraws. to the solitude of his room. In England, the 1926 General Strike is launched and Michael is despondent at the lack of conciliation on both sides. He and Fleur both decide to do their bit but so does Jon Forsyte who is now visiting his sister and Val Dartie in England with his wife Anne and mother Irene. Their paths inevitably cross.

Fleur and Jon meet again after 7 years when she stops in at her Aunt Winifred's, purportedly to check the strike's canteen accounts, but really to see him. She invites Winifred, Holly Dartie, Jon and his American wife Anne to lunch and then suggests an outing to Robin Hill. Anne feels the connection between Jon and Fleur and asks Irene to tell her the Forsyte family history. Michael gets involved in a major slum renovations project when his uncle, Rev. Hilary Charwell, arranges to buy an entire street. The only problem is that he has no money and he gets Michael to organize a fundraising effort. Val Dartie gets a visit from an old schoolmate, Stainford, who wants to borrow money. With Val having entered a horse in the Gold Cup at Ascot, Winifred arranges an outing for Fleur to join her and to Fleur's surprise, her father Soames agrees to go as well. At Ascot both Soames and Irene see Jon and Fleur spending time together. June asks Fleur to sit for a portrait by Harold Blade, another of her lame ducks.

Fleur goes to Harold Blade's studio for her portrait sitting but she sees Jon and Anne there as she too is having her portrait done. When she learns that Jon will also have his portrait painted, she arranges for them to both be there on the same day. Since her experience with running the strike canteen, Fleur has been looking for something substantive to do. She comes across the idea of opening a rest home for working girls to give them a rest and fresh air. Val's racehorse meanwhile is ill and Stainford says he knows why. Of course he wants payment so Val arranges asks his Uncle Soames to be there when he meets him. The committee Michael has assembled to raise funds for the slum renovation meets for the first time and Soames is co-opted to join the group.

Fleur makes a point of seeing Jon at Harold Blade's studio and invites him to visit the rest house she's opened for working girls. She pours her heart out to him and breaks into tears but Jon knows that they musn't continue seeing one another. They both realize that they are playing with fire and when they again visit Robin Hill, they make love in the garden. Jon feels terribly guilty and wants to tell Anne but Fleur would be happy for them to keep it all to themselves and continue as lovers. Irene immediately senses what has happened between her son and his first love and confronts Fleur. She also has some important news for her. Fleur goes to her father's house but tragedy results when fire breaks out in Soames' beloved art gallery.