Nowadays, Chigwell is a suburb of East London perched on the end of the colorful London Underground map. Back in the eighteenth century, it was a rather small village, complete with village traditions and ways. In 1775, there is a gathering around the fire at the Maypole Inn, presided over by the inn's proprietor, John Willet. He is sitting with three friends, one of whom, Solomon Daisy, is telling a well-worn tale about the murder of Reuben Haredale to a stranger, because it is the twenty second anniversary of the murder. Reuben had been the owner of a local estate called The Warren, and now his brother Goeffrey lives there with Reuben's daughter Emma. It was assumed that the gardener and the steward had killed Reuben because they disappeared after the murder, but when the steward's body was found process of elimination dictated that the gardener was the killer.
John Willet squabbles frequently with his son, Joe, because at twenty years old Joe feels that his father should treat him as an equal, rather than as a child. Joe decides to leave the inn and join the army.
Emma Haredale has an admirer; Edward Chester is in love with her, and their uncles are enemies so both men disapprove of any relationship between them - finally something they agree on. Sir John Chester, Edward's father, lies to Geoffrey and tells him that Edward has dishonorable intentions toward his niece, because he wants him to marry a young heiress instead so that he can support John and pay his debts for him. Edward is furious and leaves to go to the West Indies.
Against this background of skullduggery and manipulation walks Barnaby Rudge. He's a simple man whose mother is receiving house calls from a mysterious stranger whom she believes she should try to take care of. However, she starts to find him rather disconcerting and eventually cashes in her annuity and leaves the city with Barnaby hoping that the stranger will not follow.
It's 1780; five years have passed, and on the twenty seventh anniversary of Reuben Haredale's murder, Solomon Daisy sees a ghost in the churchyard. He and his friends decide to tell Geoffrey Haredale so John Willet leaves the Maypole Inn and starts out to his house with Hugh, the Maypole's innkeeper. They meet three men who want to go to London, but need a place to stay for the night, so they take them back to the Maypole. The visitors are Lord George Gordon, his secretary Gashford and his manservant John Grueby. Gordon is a vocal anti-papist and makes an impromptu speech. The following day when they make the thirteen mile trip to London, they gather anti-Catholics with them and drum up support for Protestants. They decide to make Ned Dennis, a hangman, and Simon Tappertit, an apprentice locksmith, leaders.
Meanwhile, in a quiet country village, Barnaby and his mother have successfully evaded Geoffrey Haredale's efforts to locate them; however, the stranger they were running from has found them, and sends a blind man named Stagg to try to get money from them. Their hiding place discovered, the Rudges head back to London, hoping to avoid him again. They arrive in Westminster Bridge in time to see a mob heading for a meeting at Surrey Docks. Barnaby joins them against his mother's wishes, and with the group, marches on Parliament, burning down several Catholic churches and some homes owned by Catholic families along the way.
Barnaby is told to guard The Boot, the group's headquarters, whilst the mob go to Chigwell in search of Geoffrey Haredale. The mob loots the Maypole Inn and burn down the Warren, capturing Emma Haredale and her companion Dolly Varden. Soldiers take Barnaby prisoner and he is taken to Newgate Gaol, which the rioters are going to storm.
Geoffrey Haredale captures the mysterious stranger following the Rudges; he turns out to be Barnaby Rudge Senior, the steward responsible for the murder of Reuben Haredale. He had switched clothing wth the gardener to throw suspicion on him.
The rioters take Gabriel Varden prisoner so that he can help them break into Newgate Gaol to release their prisoners using his skills as a locksmith. When he refuses he is rescued himself, which enrages the rioters so much that they burn down Newgate. Although the prisoners all escape, Barnaby, his father and Hugh are betrayed by Dennis, and handed over to soldiers. Dennis has been playing both sides against the middle because he wants to claim the bounty that was on their heads. Joe Willet returns from fighting in America, and it turns out that he and Edward Chester rescued Gabriel Varden; they go on to rescue Dolly and Emma from the clutches of the rioters.
Despite his best laid plans, Dennis is arrested and sentenced to death, along with Barnaby and Hugh, but Barnaby is given a pardon thanks to Gabriel Varden's efforts on his behalf. Joe and Dolly are married and take over the Maypole Inn whilst Edward and Emma marry and leave for the West Indies. Lord George Gordon is initially charged with inciting the riots and is imprisoned in the Tower of London, but he is subsequently found innocent. Sir John Chester, now a Member of Parliament, is killed in a duel by Geoffrey Haredale, who then flees to Europe where he spends the rest of his life in a monastery. Barnaby, physically strong despite his mental limitations, is given a job at the Maypole Inn tending to the farm, where he and his mother live in safety.
