Hester Collyer's husband is a rich, talented lawyer; her lover, Freddie, is neither Hester's moral nor intellectual equal, but Hester loves him with an intensity that few, and especially not Freddie, are capable of matching. They are death to each other. Hester is driven to attempt suicide. Between the devil and the deep blue sea the latter looks very attractive. She is saved by Miller, a disbarred doctor, and through him learns how to transcend both hope and despair.
