Pip, the narrator, has been brought up by his sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery, the wife of the village blacksmith. He had become an orphan when he was just an infant. One day Pip visits his parents' graves. There he encounters a runaway thief from the prison. He eats Pip's breads and threatens him not to tell anybody about his presence in the grave yard. He tells Pip to bring a file and food for him.
When he comes back home, he comes to know that his sister has been looking for him. She beats him with a tickler, a cane she uses to beat Pip.
After berating Pip, Mrs. Joe gives Pip his bread and butter, which he decides to hide. Pip is accused of "bolting" his food, and Mrs. Joe gives him tar water as a punishment. Pip is told that a convict escaped from prison.
That night, Pip sneaks downstairs and steals some food and brandy. He sneaks out of the house to meet the man in the graveyard.
Pip meets the man and tells him he saw a younger man on the road dressed in the same manner. He had a badly bruised face. The man asked Pip where he can find the younger man. Pip points in the direction of the younger man.
Pip returns home for Christmas dinner. A guest is served from the brandy jug. It is revealed that instead of water, Pip filled the jug with tar water.
Mrs. Joe discovers her pie has been stolen, and Pip runs from the house. He is stopped at the door by a soldier.
The soldiers enter the house and ask for the blacksmith. Joe tells them it will take 2 hours to fix their handcuffs.
Pip goes with Joe to return the handcuffs. The man Pip helped earlier is caught with the younger man Pip saw. The younger man says Pip's convict tried to kill him. Pip's convict denies the charges, but says he stole food from Pip's house.
The convict goes back to the prison ship. Pip returns home and falls asleep. Pip learns to read at the village school, but knows he will be soon apprenticed to Joe when he comes of age. Pip is told that Miss Havisham wants him to visit him.
Pip arrives at Miss Havisham's house, which looks as if it has been abandoned.
Pip enters Miss Havisham's room. She is dressed in an old wedding dress. She says her heart is broken, and all she wants is to see him play.
Miss Havisham calls Estella, a young and rude girl, to play cards with Pip. Pip notices that the room looks like it had been abandoned by a bride years ago.
Pip is told to return in 6 days.
Mrs. Joe is eager to learn what Pip did at Miss Havisham's house. She knocks him around when he does not answer her questions to her liking. He makes up a story when he realizes no one has ever seen Miss Havisham. After some time Pip tells Joe about his visit.
Pip collects Joe from the local bar, where Joe is talking to a strange man who studies Pip.
Pip notices the man stirring his drink with Joe's file. The man gives Pip a shilling. When he gets home, he finds two pound notes wrapped around the shilling.
He is afraid the man will kill him.
Pip returns to Miss Havisham's. He notices all the clocks in the house have been stopped at 8:40.
Estella tries to make Pip cry, but he tells her he will never cry for her.
Instead of playing, Pip is made to wait in a room that had once been prepared for a wedding, but was also abandoned. Miss Havisham tells Pip this is where she will be viewed when she dies.
Pip fights with a young man in the courtyard as Estella watches. She then allows Pip to kiss her on the cheek.
Pip fear he will get in trouble for the fight, but nothing happens to him.
He continues his strange visits with Miss Havisham and Estella. Miss Havisham suggests Joe apprentice Pip at her house.
Joe meets Miss Havisham, who gives him money for Pip. She releases Pip to Joe. Pip is bound as Joe's apprentice in the town hall that day.
Pip is unhappy as an apprentice and misses his time at Miss Havisham's. He is ashamed and worries he is unworthy of Estella.
Pip asks Joe to allow him time off on his birthday to visit Miss Havisham. At his visit, he learns Estella is studying abroad.
On his way home, he learns some fugitives have escaped prison again. When he returns home, he sees his sister has been hit in the head and is lying on the floor.
