Born into the squalor of Newgate Prison, a young woman learns early that the world offers nothing freely-so she takes what she can. Clever, bold, and unrelenting, she climbs from poverty to wealth through seduction, deception, and sheer will, marrying when it suits her and stealing when it doesn't. As she maneuvers through the glittering parlors of high society and the shadowy streets of London, her hunger for fortune pushes her toward ever-riskier schemes. But in a world where survival demands both cunning and luck, she soon finds herself facing the one thing she can't outwit-consequences.

A daring and unflinching portrait of survival in 18th-century England, Moll Flanders stands as one of the earliest and most provocative explorations of the modern novel. Daniel Defoe's gripping tale of crime, resilience, and social mobility challenges the rigid moral structures of its time, offering a rare glimpse into the struggles of women navigating a world built against them. Blending fiction with sharp social commentary, the novel exposes the brutal realities of poverty, class, and gender, making it both a thrilling adventure and a powerful historical document. Its bold, complex heroine defied literary conventions, paving the way for future realist narratives and cementing Defoe's legacy as a pioneer of the English novel.