Plot

The protagonist Scout recalls a period from her childhood, beginning her story the summer she is six. Scout and her brother Jem and their friend Dill pass the holidays playing, fishing and discussing Boo Radley, their reclusive neighbour. As they interact with family and friends the siblings begin to grow up and are often confused and intrigued by the prejudices and assumptions held by many in their community. They experience or witness many accounts of discrimination in the classroom and on the streets. The children’s father Atticus is a respected lawyer and he tries to guide Scout and Jem to behave with dignity and respect toward people who are different to them. Atticus defends a black man Tom Robinson who is wrongly accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. The audience is left to ponder the tragic end and to question their own prejudices and the damage that discrimination can cause.