《双城记》以法国大革命为背景，围绕寓居巴黎的曼奈特医生一家的命运展开情节，曼奈特一次出诊目睹侯爵府中的淫乐情景，被投入监狱，妻子心碎而死。18年后曼奈特出狱，独女露茜将他接至伦敦，而与露茜真诚相恋的达雷恰巧是侯爵的侄子，他憎恶家族的罪恶，毅然放弃了家族财产；为了女儿的幸福，曼奈特捐弃前嫌，欣然同意了女儿的婚事。小说真实地再现了资产阶级新贵残害百姓的败行，预示了即将到来的革命风暴。《双城记》在狄更斯的创作中占有特殊重要地位，在概括时代精神的深度和广度上都有很大发展，技法亦愈加纯熟，语言精粹，情节感人，因而一直为广大读者所喜爱。(A Tale of Two Cities, taking the French revolution as background, embraces destiny of Dr Manette's family lived in Paris to unfold plot; Mr. Manette witnessed obscene circumstances in marquis's mansion in a out-call, so he was taken to a jail, and his wife died with a broken heart. Mr. Manette was out of jail after 18 years ago; Lucy, his sole daughter will pick him to London, and Dare who was sincerely in love with Lucy happened to be the nephew of the marquis; Dare hated family crime, and resolutely abandoned family property; for the sake of happiness of daughter, Mr. Manette sank a feud and joyfully agreed daughter's marriage. This novel truly reappears in failure behavior of bourgeoisie upstart abusing common people, and indicates upcoming revolutionary storm. A Tale of Two Cities occupies a special and important position in creations of Dickens, and has very big development in summarizing depth and breadth of time spirit, and be of increasingly strong techniques, succinct language, moving plot, thus, it has been for the readers.)