In the harsh winter of New England, farmer Ethan Frome struggles to lead a bearable life, which is not easy on a rundown farm with a hypochondriac wife. The only bright spot is his wife's cousin, Mattie, who comes to help them, sparking a budding romance and the promise of a different future. However, this hope is crushed when his wife decides to send Mattie away, and in his desperate attempt to resolve the situation, Ethan makes a decision that has lifelong consequences.

EDITH WHARTON [1862–1937], born in New York, made her debut at the age of forty but managed to write around twenty novels, nearly a hundred short stories, poetry, travelogues, and essays. Wharton was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times: 1927, 1928, and 1930. For The Age of Innocence [1920], she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1921.