Summary The novel opens with Hester, the protagonist, being led to the scaffold where she is to be publicly humiliated for committing adultery. Hester is required to wear the letter "A" on her dress at all times. Hester carries Pearl, her daughter, with her. In public, she recognizes her husband from Amsterdam, Roger Chillingworth, the antagonist. Chillingworth visits Hester after she returns to the prison. He tells her that he will find out who this man was. He then forces her to promise never to reveal her true identity. Hester moves into a cabin on the edge of the woods. She and Pearl live there in solitude. Roger Chillingworth has a reputation as a good doctor. He uses his reputation to enter the same house as Arthur Dimmesdale, a minister. Chillingworth eventually discovers that Dimmesdale is Pearl's real father, and then spends every moment trying to make the minister suffer. Hester realizes that Chillingworth is slowly killing Dimmesdale and that she must help him. A few weeks later, Hester sees Chillingworth gathering herbs in the woods. She tells him that she is going to reveal that he is her husband to Dimmesdale. He tells her that she can do whatever she wants. Hester takes Pearl into the woods where they await Dimmesdale's arrival. She comforts Dimmesdale because she wants to be friends and reveals Chillingworth's true identity to him. He is angry, but convinces him that they should run away together. Hester finds a ship that will carry all three of them, and it turns out that the ship is scheduled to sail the day after Dimmesdale delivers his election sermon. However, on the day of the sermon, Chillingworth gets the ship's captain to agree to take him on board as well. After Dimmesdale delivers his sermon, he unexpectedly walks up to the scaffold and stands on it. Dimmesdale calls Hester and Pearl to come see him. Chillingworth tries to stop him, but Dimmesdale laughs and tells him he can't win. Hester and Pearl join Dimmesdale on the scaffold. Dimmesdale then tells the people that he is also a sinner like Hester and that he should have taken her rightful place at her side seven years ago. He then tears his shirt to reveal a scarlet letter on his flesh. Dimmesdale falls to his knees and dies on the scaffold.