Synopsis

The narrator of this novel is a young six-year old girl named Scout Finch. Scout lives with her older brother, Jem, and their widowed father Atticus, a lawyer. Both Scout and Jem befriend Dill who comes to Maycomb to visit his aunt for the summer. The three of them are terrified and fascinated by Boo Radely, one of their neighbour, because their parents never want to tell them about Boo. Boo Radely makes gestures of affection to the children, but he never appears in person.

A black man, Tom Robinson, being accuse of raping a young white woman, Mayella Ewell, and the court appointes Atticus to defend Tom. Many youngsters in Maycomb are racist to black people so they call Atticus a "nigger-lover". There are a lot of conflicts between the residents of Maycomb and Scout, Jem and Atticus which would not resolve until Dill disperses the mob by forcing them to view the situation from Atticus' and Tom's points of view.

In the court, Atticus is able to establish that the accusers are lying. Although the evidence is clear that Tom is innocent, the jury convicts him. Tom tries to escape from prison, however, he is shot and died.

Bob Ewel, Mayella Ewell's father, gets humiliated by the trial and wants to take revenge on Atticus. He spits in Atticus' face, wants to break into the presiding judge's house, and menaces Tom Robinson's widow. Eventually, he attacks Scout and Jem as they walk home from the school. Jem's arm gets injure, but amid the confusion, someone rescues the two children. Scout realizes that this man is Boo Radley.

Maycomb's sheriff discovers that Bob has been killed in the struggle. Tthe sheriff's story is that Ewell simply fell on his own knife. Scout walks Boo home and after she says goodbye, she stands on the Radley porch, imagining life from Boo's perspective. She regrets that they never repaid Boo for for what he has gives them.