Meursault, an emotionally detached young man living in Algiers, learns of his mother’s death and attends her funeral without showing much grief. Back in his ordinary life, he begins a relationship with Marie while becoming involved with his neighbor Raymond. During a day at the beach, a confrontation leads Meursault to kill a man almost without emotion. As he faces trial, society condemns him less for the murder than for his refusal to pretend to feel what others expect. In prison, Meursault confronts the absurdity of existence and accepts life without meaning or certainty.