"To Kill a Mockingbird", told by six-year-old Jean Louise Finch (Scout), takes place during the Great Depression. Her father Atticus, the town lawyer, defends a falsely accused black man, Tom Robinson. He is convicted, then killed trying to escape. His accuser's father attacks Scout and her brother Jeremy ("Jem"), but is killed by their reclusive neighbor Arthur "Boo" Radley, or potentially by Jem.