The people of Oran, a coastal town in North Africa, are in the grip of a deadly plague which condemns its victims to a swift and horrifying death. The plague begins with a series of unheeded warnings; panic, isolation, and claustrophobia soon follow, as the townspeople are forced into quarantine. Each person responds in their own way: some resign themselves to fate, some seek blame, and a few, like Dr. Rieux, resist the terror. An immediate triumph when it was published in 1947, The Plague is in part an allegory of France's suffering under the Nazi occupation, as well as a timeless story of bravery and determination against the precariousness of human existence. In this bold and modern translation, award-winning translator Laura Marris breathes new urgency into Albert Camus's ever-resonant tale.