A Southern Gothic novel, the Heart is a Lonely Hunter focuses on four characters who confide in one man, John Singer, a deaf-mute. The characters include Mick, a teenage girl whose parents own the boarding house where Singer lives, Biff, the owner of the local cafe, Jake Blount, a union organizer, and Dr. Copeland, a black man who wants to build up his community. The novel explores the deep isolation felt by all of the characters, including Singer himself, who has been left alone by his sick friend.