Carson McCullers's impressive first novel was met with great enthusiasm when she was only twenty-three. Set in a small town in the Deep South, it tells the story of John Singer, a lonely deaf-mute whose kind and sympathetic nature draws diverse people to him. The owner of the café where Singer eats daily, a young girl desperate to grow up, an angry drunkard, and a frustrated Black doctor all share their deepest thoughts with Singer, their silent confidant. His presence, in turn, transforms their disillusioned lives in unexpected ways...