When the peaceful atmosphere of Barchester is destroyed by a scandal concerning the financial affairs of an almshouse, Septimus Harding, the kindly but unworldly warden who is responsible for the care of the establishment's twelve elderly residents, finds himself in conflict with his daughter's suitor, the zealous reformer John Bold, who unwittingly unleashes the full might of the press against his prospective father-in-law.

The first in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, The Warden is both a humorous satire on the Church of England and a poignant insight into the manner in which public matters can affect private lives.