A man detained by authorities adamantly rejects his assigned identity, sparking a complex investigation into the nature of the self. The protagonist, held in a prison cell, insists he is an American named White, while the state maintains he is the long-missing sculptor Anatol Ludwig Stiller. As he interacts with his past life through the testimonies of his wife, brother, and mistress, he struggles against the weight of a biography he refuses to claim. The narrative utilizes a frame story structure, incorporating the prisoner's own written accounts to challenge the reliability of memory and social labels.

Readers and critics frequently highlight the book's intellectual rigor and its unsettling examination of how society forces identities upon individuals. Discussion often centers on the protagonist's stubborn refusal to conform to the expectations of those around him, which creates a persistent sense of irony throughout the text. Many observers note that the pacing is deliberate, favoring philosophical introspection over traditional plot progression. The work is widely regarded for its ability to maintain ambiguity, leaving the reader to question the validity of the narrator's claims until the final pages.