故事发生在17世纪中叶，年轻美丽的赫丝特（黛米·摩尔饰）因为受不了丈夫的冷落而离开他和那个她觉得没有温暖的家庭，独自一个来到了马萨诸塞湾的英属殖民地，开始了新的生活，在这里开拓殖民地的来自英国本土的人一向有坚定的信仰并恪守着清规戒律，性情活泼、举止有些开放的赫丝特受到了这里人们的格外关注

牧师阿瑟（加里·奥德曼饰）英俊帅气并激情昂扬，很快就吸引了赫丝特投向他的目光，二人性情相投，不久后就坠入爱河，但这种婚外的行为在当时是被明令禁止的，二人不得不小心翼翼地躲避着。一个消息传到了这里，赫丝特的医生丈夫被印第安人杀害了，既悲又喜的赫丝特觉得到了可以二人公开关系的时候，没想到却以通奸罪而被告上了法庭，为了保护爱人，赫丝特拒绝供认那个通奸者，最终她被独自扔进监狱并在那里生下了一名女婴，监狱外的阿瑟日子也不好过，天天承受着心灵的折磨，最后，赫丝特出狱了，可通奸者的耻辱标志却始终扣在了她的头上，此时，已经被传死讯的丈夫却突然出现，非要找出那个通奸者不可。

The story happened in the middle of the 17th century, when the young and beautiful Hester (Demi Moore) could not bear the neglect of her husband and left him and her husband. She felt that there was no warm family, so she came to the British colony of Massachusetts Bay alone and started a new life. The native British people who opened up the colony here have always had firm beliefs and abided by the rules and regulations. They are lively and somewhat open-minded. The Hester of the people here received special attention

Pastor Arthur (Gary Oldman), handsome and passionate, soon attracted Hester to him The two had similar temperaments, and soon fell in love, but this kind of extramarital behavior was explicitly prohibited at the time, and the two had to carefully avoid it. A news came here that Hester's doctor husband was killed by Indians. Hester, who was both sad and happy, felt that it was time for the two to make their relationship public. Unexpectedly, he was brought to court for adultery. Lover, Hester refused to confess the adulterer, and finally she was thrown into the prison alone and gave birth to a baby girl there. Arthur outside the prison had a hard time, suffering from mental torture every day. Finally, Hester Te was released from prison, but the stigma of the adulterer was always on her head. At this time, the husband who had been rumored to be dead suddenly appeared, insisting on finding the adulterer.