Nicholas Nickleby (Charlie Hunnam) is young man growing up in England. He lives a fairly comfortable life due to his family’s wealth, until his father dies and the family loses all its money. The remains of the family travel to London to seek help from their estranged Uncle Ralph (Christopher Plummer). Ralph, a very demented man separates the family by sending Nicholas to a boarding school. Nicholas is quite unhappy there as it is run by the awful Wackford Squares (Jim Broadbent). Nicholas after several months of abuse escapes the school with one of his peers and sets out on a journey to find love and to reunite his family, and thwart his evil uncle.