What is the subject of the Master's novel in Bulgakov's 'The Master and Margarita'?

The subject of the Master's novel in Bulgakov's “The Master and Margarita” is Pontius Pilate. The novel within the novel recounts Pilate's encounter with Yeshua Ha-Notsri, Bulgakov's fictionalized representation of Jesus of Nazareth, and the Roman governor's agonizing decision over his fate.

This Jerusalem narrative is interwoven with the main Moscow plot, in which Satan, appearing as Woland, exposes the corruption and hypocrisy of Soviet literary society. The Master is a former historian who wins money in a lottery and devotes himself to writing his Pilate novel, but literary critics attack it because its religious subject conflicts with the officially atheist Soviet culture.

The Master eventually burns the manuscript in despair, echoing Bulgakov's own destruction of an early version of his novel. In the story, however, Woland later restores the manuscript, reinforcing the idea that creative truth cannot be permanently destroyed. A common mix-up is to answer Jesus Christ: Yeshua is a central figure in the Master's novel, but Pilate is its principal subject and viewpoint character.