Duddy Kravitz is a young Jewish boy obsessed with success. The boy’s grandfather, Simcha, convinces him that family and society respect a man if he owns the land. Since then, Duddy is obsessed with owning a piece of land. As a young boy, he starts working for his uncle, Benjy. However, Benjy dislikes Duddy because he believes that he is driven by greediness. When the two fall out, Duddy starts working as a waiter in a nearby hotel. His colleagues in the hotel mock him. As a result, one of the colleagues tricks him into playing a rigged roulette game where Duddy loses all his money.
One day, Duddy goes to the nearby lake with Yvette, his girlfriend. The two make love, but Duddy is preoccupied with the land around the lake. Obsessed with owning a piece of land, Duddy envisions it as a tremendous site for a community resort during summer. When he gets back to his homeland, he sets up several businesses to earn a profit. While here, his interest in owning the land around the lake grows vividly. Soon after, his uncle, Benjy, passes on, and Duddy inherits his mansion.
Duddy is informed that the last piece of land around the lake is being sold. By the near guess of his memory, Duddy discovers that he cannot raise enough money to purchase the land at the moment. Therefore, he resorts to using unscrupulous means of possessing the land. Duddy forges the cheque and obtains the land illegally. The people around him alienate from him due to this offense. The book warns people against avaricious means to acquire wealth and power.
