After narrowly escaping a murder conviction for the attempted poisoning of her husband, Thérèse Desqueyroux must navigate the suffocating social and moral isolation of her provincial life. Thérèse struggles to reconcile her internal desire for autonomy with the rigid expectations of her bourgeois environment. Opposed by her husband and the judgmental gaze of her community, she seeks an escape that leads her through exile and into the anonymity of Paris. The narrative utilizes a psychological framework to examine the protagonist's internal state as she confronts the consequences of her actions and the limitations of her existence.

Readers and critics frequently highlight the clinical precision with which the author dissects the protagonist's psyche. Discussion often centers on the moral complexity of Thérèse, as she remains an elusive figure who defies simple categorization as either victim or villain. The atmosphere of the novel is consistently described as claustrophobic, reflecting the stifling nature of the social environment the protagonist inhabits. Many observers note that the pacing is deliberate, favoring deep character study over external plot developments. The work is widely regarded as a significant contribution to French psychological literature, prompting ongoing analysis regarding the nature of human freedom and social judgment.