An old, limping man captures the attention of a newcomer to the rural town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, who sets out to learn the tragic story behind Ethan Frome's physical scars and subdued interactions. As the story skips back in time twenty-four years, a lifetime of misfortunes, a misguided love affair, and a terrible sledding accident come to light in Wharton's 1911 tale, set against the backdrop of stark New England winters, of a man unable to escape the harsh hand of fate.