Duddy Kravitz is a youth growing up in Montreal, Quebec, and is a member of the Jewish religion. Before his grandfather passed away, he told Duddy that land was important, and "a man without land is nobody". Therefore, Duddy grows up respecting this belief, and makes it his primary goal in life to acquire land and money, despite the negative consequences that this may have on his relationship with his family.
Duddy's Uncle Benjy never really cared for Duddy, and preferred his brother because he wanted to become a doctor. Because Duddy is so greedy when it comes to money, he fires Duddy from a job at his clothing factory.
While out on a date with a girlfriend named Yvette, Duddy discovers a beautiful pond that he thinks would make a great resort place for tourists. Yvette thinks that this behavior is rather rude, as she prefers the land stay as it is.
Meanwhile, Duddy starts a film company to further his entrepreneurial ambitions. He meets a blacklisted man (who happens to be a communist), and hires him on the spot. He wants to produce a film about Jerry Dingleman, who had a miraculous childhood, but fails to capture Jerry's attention.
By buying up land in urban areas, Duddy starts to become richer, but at the expense of his emotional health. Now, most of what he is spending is from loans from the bank or friends, and he has no money in hand. Duddy buys the lake that he once wanted, and moves into his now-deceased uncle's mansion.
Pressing everyone he knows for money, Duddy loses Yvette as a friend. Despite this, Duddy still thinks he is "manly" because of all of the things he owns.
