Phillip Noyce's film version deviates considerably from the plot of the book.
The movie takes rather a simplistic stance on voyeurism, suggesting that wanting to secretly observe people and thus invading their privacy is part of human nature. Levin's novel, on the other hand, tries to draw a line between man's innate curiosity and pathological and compulsive behavior patterns.
A new apartment brings a new life of passion and murder to a literary editor, in this voyeuristic love triangle.