When Parson Hooper dons a black veil made of crape that covers just about his entire face, he is an immediate social pariah. The veil inspires fear, with people thinking that the veil has transformed him into a ghost, and many refuse to be near him.

Elizabeth, his fiancée, is the only person brave enough to speak to Hooper. The first time she asks him to take the veil off, he tells her that he will be required to wear it forever, until everyone will take off their veils. This is a reference to the second coming of Christ. Later, she asks him about it again, digging deeper in her attempt to find out whether this sudden veil-wearing is the result of some deep-seated trauma or grief. She explains to him that taking off the veil will put a stop to the rumors about him.

In spite of all this, he refuses to remove his veil. Elizabeth pleads and cries, to no avail. The fear of the veil then comes over Elizabeth, and despite Hooper begging her not to leave him, she winds up doing so. In a final attempt to make him see sense, she asks him to lift the veil just once. His refusal is the last straw for Elizabeth, and she leaves him.