《红字》是以政教合一的清教盛行时期为背景的一则爱情故事,发生在两百多年前的波士顿。小说描写女主人公海丝特·白兰跟丈夫从英国移居当时尚属英殖民地的美国波士顿,中途丈夫被印第安人俘虏,海丝特只身来到美国等待丈夫团聚。独自一人生活的海丝特婚姻生活原本就不幸福,她本来不爱丈夫罗杰·齐灵渥斯,一位畸形、伪善、博学的老医生。在一次姻缘巧遇中,海丝特和当地颇有名望的青年牧师相识相恋,*后这段不被世俗所容的秘密恋情因海丝特的怀孕而曝光。
清教权力机构以通奸罪惩罚海丝特·白兰,先是拘捕,后又令她胸前佩戴标志通奸的红色“A”字站在古老的刑台上示众。她的手中抱着这个罪孽的证据:一个出生仅数月的婴儿。在人们无情的注视下,她拒绝了年轻牧师阿瑟·丁梅斯代尔提出的忏悔并供出同犯的要求。这时,海丝特的丈夫罗杰 ·齐灵渥斯来到了镇上,发现了这个当众受辱的女人就是自己的妻子。他威胁海丝特不准说出两人的关系,他满怀仇恨地改名为罗杰·齐灵渥斯,以医生的身份暗中察访与海丝特通奸的同犯。
受过惩罚后,海丝特以罪妇的身份带着女儿珠儿在城外远离人群的一间小茅屋里住了下来。她以作针线活维生,并细心照料着她的女儿珠儿,她的针

Chapter One The Prison Door
Chapter Two The Market Place
Chapter Three The Recognition
Chapter Four The Interview
Chapter Five Hester at Her Needle
Chapter Six Pearl
Chapter Seven The Governor's Office
Chapter Eight The Strange Child and the Minister
Chapter Nine The Mysterious Roger ChiUingworth
Chapter Ten The Doctor and His Patient
Chapter Eleven The Inside of a Heart
Chapter Twelve The Minister's Thought
Chapter Thirteen Another View of Hester
Chapter Fourteen Hester and the Doctor
Chapter Fifteen Hester and Pearl
Chapter Sixteen A Forest Walk
Chapter Seventeen The Minister and His Follower
Chapter Eighteen A Flood of Sunshine
Chapter Nineteen The Child at the Stream
Chapter Twenty The Minister in Confusion
Chapter Twenty-One The New England Holiday
Chapter Twenty-Two The March
Chapter Twenty-Three The Discovery of the Scarlet Letter
Chapter Twenty-Four Conclusion