Redmond Barry is an Irish country boy who falls in love with a well-to-do local girl and is subsequently tricked by her family into leaving town. Disillusioned with love, the brokenhearted youngster embarks on an adventure which sees him serve in the Seven Years War, earn a living as a professional gambler, and eventually move into the higher ranks of society, when he meets and marries the beautiful Lady Lyndon. Despite the luck that has brought him such riches, it is this final move, the cynical choice to marry for social advancement rather than love, which brings about his downfall.