The Scarlet Letter' is set in 17th-century Puritan Boston during the years 1642 to 1649 and tells the story of Hester Prynne, forced to wear a scarlet letter after conceiving a daughter through an adulterous affair with a man she refuses to name. She struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt in what is generally considered his magnum opus.