A short novel without chapter divisions, Prater Violet follows Isherwood’s involvement in the creation of the eponymous film. The novel depicts England before the Second World War, the rise of Nazism and the world of film-making. Isherwood uses his characters to express varying views about Hitler, and most are shown to be alarmingly indifferent.

Much of the novel records the remarks of people working in the film industry and Isherwood’s conversations with a brilliant Austrian film director, Friedrich Bergmann. Only at the conclusion of the novel does Isherwood significantly separate his voice from the stream of dialogue to provide a deeper commentary.