Young David Copperfield's life starts to go wrong when his mother marries the cruel Mr Murdstone. David is sent to school, where the headmaster, Mr Creakle, hits him whenever he can. Poor David is only happy when he is visiting the strange boat-house home of his nurse, Peggotty, and her family. When he runs away from school to find his aunt Betsy Trotwood, however, things begin to get better. Find out what happens to David as he grows up, and how the friends - and enemies - of his unhappy childhood affect his fortunes in later life.