Editing The Plague (novel) (section)

==Plot==
[[File:Oran-port-1943.jpg|thumb|View of Oran in 1943]]
In 1940s Oran, rats, initially unnoticed by the populace, begin dying en masse. Hysteria develops soon afterward, prompting local newspapers to report the incident; authorities begin disposing of the rats. Bernard Rieux, a local physician, learns that a concierge in his building has died from a fever and consults a colleague about the illness. They conclude that a plague is sweeping the town and approach other doctors and town authorities about their theory, which is met with denial. As more deaths ensue, it becomes apparent that an epidemic is imminent. 

Authorities are slow to accept that the situation is serious and quibble over the appropriate action to take. Official notices enacting control measures are posted, but they downplay the seriousness of the situation. As the death toll begins to rise, homes are quarantined and corpses are strictly supervised. A supply of anti-plague serum arrives, but there is only enough to treat existing cases and the national emergency reserves are depleted. Eventually, the town is quarantined and an epidemic is officially declared.

Raymond Rambert, a visiting journalist, devises a plan to escape to join his girlfriend in Paris by courting criminals to smuggle him out. The local Jesuit priest, Father Paneloux, suggests during a sermon that the plague is God punishing the city's sinfulness. His diatribe leads many citizens of the town to turn to religion who would not have done so under normal circumstances. Cottard, a remorseful criminal who attempted suicide earlier, becomes wealthy as a major smuggler. Meanwhile, Jean Tarrou, a vacationer, and Joseph Grand, a civil engineer, assist Rieux in treating patients in their homes and in the hospital.

Rambert informs Tarrou of his escape plan. Tarrou tells him that there are others in the city who have loved ones outside the city; Rambert becomes sympathetic and offers to help until he leaves. By mid-August, people trying to escape the town are shot by armed sentries. Violence and looting break out, leading authorities to declare martial law and impose a curfew. Funerals are conducted with more speed, with no ceremony and little concern for the bereaved.  

Rambert finally has a chance to escape, but decides to stay, saying that he would feel ashamed of himself if he left. Towards the end of October, an anti-plague serum is tried for the first time on the local magistrate Othon's son; the serum fails and he suffers intensely as Paneloux, Rieux, and Tarrou tend to him in horror.

[[File:Library Walk 5.JPG|thumb|A plaque for ''The Plague'' in New York City]]

Paneloux, who has joined the group of volunteers fighting the plague, gives a second sermon. He addresses the problem of an innocent child's suffering and says it is a test of faith since it requires him either to deny everything or believe everything. He urges the congregation not to give up, but to do everything possible to fight the plague. A few days after the sermon, Paneloux becomes ill; his symptoms do not conform to those of the plague, but the disease still proves fatal.

Tarrou and Rambert visit an isolation camps where they encounter the magistrate Othon. When Othon's quarantine ends, he chooses to stay in the camp as a volunteer to feel less separated from his dead son. Tarrou tells Rieux the story of his life and his opposition to violence, the death penalty in particular. To take their mind off the epidemic, the two men go swimming in the sea. Grand catches the plague and instructs Rieux to burn all his papers, but makes an unexpected recovery. Deaths from the plague start to decline.

By late January, the plague is in full retreat and the townspeople celebrate. Cottard is distressed by the end of the quarantine which has profited him greatly. Two government employees approach him and he flees. Despite the epidemic receding, Tarrou contracts the plague and dies after a heroic struggle. In February, the town gates open and people are reunited with their loved ones. Cottard has a mental breakdown and shoots at people from his home, killing a dog before being arrested. Rieux discloses his identity to the reader as the narrator and states that he tried to present an objective view of the events. He reflects on the epidemic and declares he wrote the chronicle to explain that, even in crisis, people are more good than evil.