In 17th-century Puritan Boston, Hester Prynne is publicly shamed for adultery and forced to wear a scarlet "A." Her secret husband, Roger Chillingworth, seeks revenge on Pearl's father, the respected Arthur Dimmesdale. Years of torment and guilt lead to Dimmesdale's public confession and death, followed by Chillingworth's demise. Hester, never removing her "A," eventually returns to Boston, finding peace and a symbolic connection to Dimmesdale in death.