The Fountainhead : A Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration

Howard Roark is an uncompromising young architect in New York who refuses to alter his designs to suit clients or critics, even when refusal costs him work and reputation. His former classmate Peter Keating, by contrast, builds a successful career by bending to fashion and pleasing others. The novel also follows Dominique Francon, a sharp-tongued woman who is drawn to Roark while being torn between her hostility toward his ideals and her attraction to them. Through these three lives, Ayn Rand sets out a fierce defense of individual vision against the demands of the crowd, following each character's choices as they test their principles in a city that rewards conformity.