The novel centers around Jake Barnes, a disillusioned American writer, and his complex relationships with the people around him. The narrative is woven around his interactions with Lady Brett Ashley, a beautiful and independent Englishwoman, and Bill Gorton, an American writer and Jake's friend. As the story unfolds, Hemingway skillfully introduces other characters, including Pedro Romero, a young Spanish bullfighter, and Robert Cohn, an American writer and friend of Jake's.