In cosmopolitan London of 1923, middle-aged Clarissa Dalloway, as a perfect hostess, prepares another social gathering when she receives the unexpected visit of her youthful love, Peter Walsh. His arrival disrupts her quiet and comfortable life, which, many years ago, Clarissa had chosen by marrying Richard Dalloway, a member of Parliament. She reevaluates her choices and realizes that she has chosen a marital life without emotions, limiting her ambitions to the title of "perfect hostess".
And while the sound of Big Ben's clock reminds her of the passage of time on an otherwise ordinary summer day, the news of the tragic fate of an unknown hero of World War I, Septimus, overwhelms her with thoughts and emotions, as their two different worlds come together for one moment only.
In this masterpiece of world literature, Virginia Woolf captivates the reader with a narrative that travels between the present and the past and weaves together the paths of central and secondary characters, managing to penetrate deep into the human soul.