In 17th-century Salem, Hester Prynne is shunned for being an adulteress with an out-of-wedlock daughter, and her husband, Dr. Chillingworth, returns after seven years, seeking revenge against her lover, a young pastor named Dimmesdale.
The Scarlet Letter
In 17th-century Salem, a woman's reputation is ruined when she gives birth out of wedlock, leading to her ostracism and the forced wearing of a scarlet letter as a public reminder of her perceived shame.