Jude Fawley is a poor young man who dreams of studying at the university of Christminster, but his social class and lack of money prevent him from achieving this goal.
He enters an unhappy marriage with Arabella, which quickly fails. Later, he falls in love with his cousin Sue Bridehead, an intelligent and independent woman.
Jude and Sue live together, but their relationship is rejected by society because they are not properly married. Their lives become marked by poverty and tragedy, including the death of their children.
In the end, Sue returns to her first husband due to religious beliefs, while Jude dies alone and heartbroken. The novel criticizes social class, marriage, and religious hypocrisy.