The End of the Affair • Synopsis
The story is set in London during and just after World War II, and centers around the adulterous affair between writer Maurice Bendrix, and Sarah Miles. Her husband is a civil servant who is “a bore and a fool,” but she refuses to divorce him.
After Sarah abruptly breaks off the affair, Maurice finds out via Sarah’s diary (stolen by a private detective) that Sarah ended their affair as part of a bargain with God. Convinced that Maurice had died in a German bombing raid, she promised to never see him again if God would let him live.
Maurice tries to win her back but finds Sarah ill and exhausted on her deathbed; she dies before he can take her away. Her passing triggers a number of miraculous events, including Maurice’s indirect acknowledgement of God’s existence by asking Him angrily to ‘please leave me alone.’