The city of Oran is haunted by mysterious events. Rats come out of the canals and die on the streets. A short time later, the first humans die of a treacherous fever: The plague rages in the city. Oran is sealed off hermetically. An escape is not possible. Albert Camus's most successful novel is one of the classics of world literature. In it, he clairvoyantly dissects human action in the face of disaster.

Although "The Plague" is a metaphysical novel in which the plague symbolizes the evil that every person carries within himself, an allusion to World War II and occupied France is unmistakable. "The plague" is a parable of the Resistance, a plea for the solidarity of the people in the fight against death and tyranny. Cooperation and independent action (regardless of religion) are seen in Camu's philosophy as the highest human values.