Born and raised in the appalling deprivation of the workhouse, orphan Oliver escapes the drudgery of apprenticeship and heads for London, only to fall into the hands of the notorious Fagin and his gang of child thieves. But Oliver is an innocent at heart, and the attempts by Fagin and the impudently witty Artful Dodger to teach him the tricks of the pick-pocket's trade lead only to his almost immediate capture. His subsequent rescue, by the kindly Mr. Brownlow, is only the beginning of a series of adventures that lead him to an incredible discovery.