The Well-Beloved tells the story of Jocelyn Pierston, a sculptor obsessed with an idealized vision of feminine beauty, which he calls the “Well-Beloved.” This ideal is not tied to a specific woman, but rather a fleeting, almost spiritual presence that he believes moves from one woman to another.
 
Set on the fictional Isle of Slingers (based on Hardy’s native Isle of Portland), the novel follows Pierston over several decades as he becomes romantically involved with three generations of women from the same family: first the grandmother, then the daughter, and finally the granddaughter. Each time, he believes he has found his “Well-Beloved,” only to watch the ideal fade with time and reality.