"Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky follows the story of Rodion Raskolnikov, a poor ex-student living in St. Petersburg, Russia. Disturbed by societal inequality and his own poverty, Raskolnikov devises a theory that certain extraordinary individuals are exempt from societal laws and can commit crimes for the greater good.

Motivated by this belief, he plans and executes the murder of a pawnbroker and her sister, which he deems as a necessary evil. However, haunted by guilt and paranoia, Raskolnikov begins to unravel mentally, experiencing nightmares and hallucinations.

As the investigation into the murder unfolds, Raskolnikov becomes entangled with various characters, including the persistent detective Porfiry Petrovich, his sympathetic friend Razumikhin, and the virtuous prostitute Sonya, who has been forced into her profession by poverty.

Through encounters with these individuals, Raskolnikov wrestles with his moral justification for the crime and gradually realizes the weight of his actions. He confesses his guilt to Sonya, who becomes his confidante and source of redemption.

In the end, Raskolnikov's internal struggle climaxes as he grapples with the consequences of his crime and his own fractured psyche. "Crime and Punishment" delves into themes of morality, guilt, and the consequences of acting upon radical ideologies, presenting an intense journey into the depths of the human psyche and the unavoidable punishment that guilt manifests.