"Absalom, Absalom!is the story of Thomas Sutpen and his ruthless, single-minded pursuit of his grand design--to forge a dynasty in Jefferson, Mississippi, in 1830--which is ultimately destroyed (along with Sutpen himself) by his own sons. A century later, the fugure of Sutpen continues to haunt young Quentin Compson, who is obsessed with the legacy of Sutpen, and of the Old South.