The story revolves around a contrasted pair of writers and friends - namely Edwin Reardon and Jasper Milvain. Edwin Reardon is portrayed as a shy literary man. As a novelist, he has few commercial prospects, and in spite of his former successful works, he seems to be incapable of channeling his talents to meet the expectations of his readers. Milvain, on the other hand, is depicted as a modern man, and a journalist who knows how to distance himself from what he writes. Therefore, his is a gradually flourishing career.
After making a name for himself by means of a captivating novel, Reardon, instead of climbing up the social ladder, seems to be gradually descending lower and lower in the literary scene. He is a traditionalist whose ideas and ideals fail to meet the public’s needs. Thus, bit by bit, his compositions cease to produce a favorable effect in society, and with this decline, his income suffers a similar acute change. With a dying reputation and a reduced capital, Amy -Reardon’s wife- is unable to grasp the origin of this deficiency in her husband. What is more, she refuses any kind of adaptations to their economical crisis. Accordingly, the pair goes on living beyond their means until their money is all but gone. Subsequent to a series of failing attempts at literary compositions, Reardon decides to leave the scene and profession altogether to resume his former career as a clerk. This, Amy cannot consent to, for she takes it as a social degradation, and decides to leave her husband and go live with her mother. Accordingly, Reardon goes back to being a clerk, and enters upon a new phase marked by increasing misery and destitution.
Milvain, during this time, ascends the pyramid of journalism with great rapidity. He does not share the love which Reardon has for literature, but owns nevertheless a sort of flexibility and insight, the lack of which, has led to the ruin of his companion. In short, Milvain writes with his own benefits in mind. Thus, not only did he weave a reputation for himself, but has acquired an economical abundance as well. In the course of time, he meets Marian Yule, a cousin to Amy and the daughter of Alfred Yule who is another struggling writer and dweller in Grub Street. The two young people fall in love with one another, but Milvain is more concerned about his future prosperity than about his emotional well-being. Therefore, Marian’s attractions meet their end at her economical limitations which Milvain perceives as an impediment to his own progress. In light of this, the pair eventually split.
Meanwhile, Amy Reardon inherits a large sum from an uncle of hers, and achieves the prosperity she has so long desired. Her husband, however, refuses to benefit from this inheritance, and declines any reunion thus funded. The conflicted couple continues in this manner until a crisis bring them together; namely the ailment and then the death of their only child. In the course of this same difficulty, Reardon himself is taken seriously ill. Not long afterwards, he dies and his widow marries his former friend Jasper Milvain.
