The narrative of Stingo, an inexperienced 22 year old Southerner, takes us back to the summer of 1947 and a boarding house in a leafy backwater of Brooklyn. There he meets Nathan, a charismatic Jewish intellectual and Sophie, beautiful and fragile Polish Catholic. Stingo is drawn into the heart of their passionate and destructive relationship as witness, confidante and supplicant. Ultimately he arrives at the dark core of Sophie's past: her memories of pre-war Poland, the concentration camp and - the essence of her terrible secret - her choice.
In the process of exploring the tragic destiny of one woman Styron provides a rare insight into the tragic destiny of mankind.
