Summary

Nathaniel Hawthorne`s story of love and adultery caused a stir when it appeared in 1850 and remains a milestone in American fiction. When the elderly husband of Hester Prynne returns unexpectedly to their New England village to find his wife nursing an illegitimate baby and wearing a scarlet letter `A` – for Adulteress – embroidered on her dress, he embarks on a vengeful hunt for the child`s father. Hester refuses to name him because he holds a respected position in the Puritan community, and in desperation, the lovers make a secret plan to flee to Europe with their young daughter.