Nightwood by Djuna Barnes was published in 1936 and is one of the earliest incidences of lesbian literature in literary history. It was one of the first novels to clearly portray a romantic relationship between two women.

The story begins when the main character, Robin, faints in a hotel in Paris. When she is revived, the (fake) doctor who helped her introduces her to his friend Baron Felix Volkbein, who wants to marry her so that he can become a part of "European high society."

They marry and have a son, Guido, but Robin soon finds that this high society life is not for her. She disappears, leaving her husband and son behind.

A few months later, she is living in Paris with a girlfriend named Nora Flood. The two have a fiery relationship, partially due to the fact that Robin has a drinking problem. One night, Nora follows Robin and discovers that she is having an affair with another woman named Jenny.

Robin moves in with Jenny but can't commit to this relationship either. Her ex-husband, Felix, finally learns to move on by bonding with their son, but Robin is still searching for her other half.

At the end of the story, Nora is walking her dog and finds Robin kneeling at the altar of a small church near her property. Robin and the dog sniff each other out, and then Robin falls asleep, leaving the reader to wonder whether she and Nora end up working things out or not.