Set in the rural Midlands, "The Rainbow" chronicles the lives of three generatio
ns of the Brangwen family over a period of more than 60 years, setting them agai
nst the emergence of modern England. When Tom Brangwen marries a Polish widow, L
ydia Lensky, and adopts her daughter Anna as his own, he is unprepared for the c
onflict and passion that erupts between them. All are seeking individual fulfilm
ent, but it is Ursula, Anne's spirited daughter, who in her search for self-know
edge, becomes the focus of Lawrence's examination of relationships and the confl
icts they bring, and the inextricable mingling of the physical and the spiritual
.
