Return of the Native is based on Thomas Hardy's novel. It focuses on how the obsession of one breathtakingly beautiful woman upsets the tranquil equilibrium of a rural English community.

Clyn (Ray Stevenson), a "native," returns from Paris with hopes of setting up a school. When he decides to marry Eustacia (Catherine Zeta Jones), his mother (Joan Plowright) disowns him. Eustacia dreams of an exciting and enchanting life in Paris and wants Clyn to take her there. But fate has other plans in mind for this couple.

Jack Gold directs this dramatic tale of disappointment and dashed dreams. The Return of the Native was filmed on location in Exmoor, England.