William Dorrit has been a resident of the Marshalsea debtors prison for so many years that he has gained a nickname-The Father of the Marshalsea. His suffering is eased by his close bond with his youngest daughter Amy, also known as Little Dorrit. The dashing Arthur Clennam, after returning to London having spent many years in China, enters their lives and the Dorrits' fortunes begin to rise and fall.

Little Dorrit is a biting satirical work on the shortcomings of nineteenth-century government and society.