Fitzwilliam Darcy, although a mere 27-year-old gentleman, is the master of an impressive estate in Derbyshire called Pemberley (income of 10,000 pounds a year). One of Darcy's best friends in London, 23-year-old Charles Bingley, whose inheritance (100,000 pounds or 5,000 pounds a year) was earned by his father in a trade (not completely respectable), is considering the purchase of a country estate in Hertfordshire called Netherfield. Bingley rents Netherfield for a year, and Darcy travels with Bingley to Netherfield to evaluate the operations of the estate and the prospects for a satisfying lifestyle in this Hertfordshire.