Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state
in what was formerly known as the United States. She is placed in the household
of The Commander, Fred Waterford - her assigned name, Offred, means 'of Fred'.
She has only one function: to breed. If Offred refuses to enter into sexual
servitude to repopulate a devastated world, she will be hanged. Yet even a
repressive state cannot eradicate hope and desire. As she recalls her
pre-revolution life in flashbacks, Offred must navigate through the terrifying
landscape of torture and persecution in the present day, and between two men
upon which her future hangs.Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting
vision of the future places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian
fiction.