Born into a life of poverty, Oliver (William Miller) and his unwed mother struggle to survive. But after her death, things only get worse for the young boy as he suffers at the hands of Mr. Bumble--the sadistic overseer at a workhouse--and his hardscrabble peers. Soon Oliver escapes to London where a series of picaresque adventures with some colorful criminals teach him more than a few cruel lessons. The BBC produced this vivid adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic novel that runs for five episodes.