The Vicar of Wakefield is the story of the title character, Dr. Primrose, and his family living in a parish in the English countryside. Primrose is financially ruined by a confidence man and then cruelly taxed by a merciless local squire. A comedy of errors ensues involving mistaken identity, deferred marriage, and financial mishaps that culminates in a happy ending for the Primroses when the squire's fortunes are suddenly reversed.