The House of Mirth

Lily Bart is an impoverished socialite who relies on a small allowance from her wealthy aunt, Julia Peniston. She shares a modest household with Grace Stepney and dreams of comfort beyond her means. Her status hangs on appearances in New York society.

She admires Lawrence Selden, a lawyer she hopes to marry, but his lack of wealth makes him an unlikely match. Lily's options are constrained to roguish wealth: Simon Rosedale and Percy Gryce, with Selden remaining an unattainable ideal. The social divide shadows every choice she makes.

During a country weekend, Lily and Selden walk together and share a kiss, giving Lily a surge of hope about a future with him. The moment underscores the tension between affection and the social realities that limit their union. The kiss promises possibility, even as risk remains.

Lily confides her troubles to Gus Trenor, who then suggests a path to money through investments. He hints at financial leverage and control over her fortune, leading Lily to trust him further. This marks the start of a dangerous entanglement between her finances and social ambitions.

Lily purchases scandalous letters that Bertha Dorset wrote, revealing that Selden was Bertha's lover. The letters threaten Lily's security and Selden's reputation, fueling the social peril she already faces. She keeps them close, intending to use them if needed.

At a wedding, Gus Trenor gives Lily a $5,000 check and claims to have reinvested more money for her. The windfall deepens Lily's dependence on Trenor and binds her to his financial scheme. She feels both relief and growing unease.

Trenor invites Lily to the opera, where Julia and Selden spot her with Trenor and Rosedale. He then hustles her away from the public scene and tries to kiss her, arguing that she’s not playing fair when she accepts money but resists his romantic advances. The incident marks a turning point in how she is perceived.

Back at home, Julia refuses to lend Lily the money to repay Trenor. Lily confides in Grace, who reveals a secret: she secretly loves Lawrence Selden and advises against relying on him. Lily's options tighten as her financial dependence grows.

George Rosedale visits, offering money and security, and proposes to Lily. She rejects him, torn between social ambition and genuine affection. Meanwhile, Lily remains haunted by the possibility of turning to Selden for support.

Bertha Dorset invites Lily to join a European cruise aboard the Dorsets' yacht, a chance to escape gossip and debt. Lily accepts in desperation, hoping the voyage will alter her fortunes. The invitation marks a shift from New York confinement to international society.

In Monte Carlo, Selden and Carry Fisher worry about Lily's safety while she travels with the Dorsets. A tense dynamic unfolds aboard the yacht as a poet reads to Bertha and Lily confronts Bertha when she returns ashore. Bertha accuses Lily of adultery with George because Lily had been alone with him.

Back in New York, Julia dies and Lily discovers she will receive only a fraction of the fortune, with most left to her cousin Grace. Now homeless and adrift, Lily confronts a cruel social reality that money—and status—will not easily save. She seeks shelter with Carry Fisher for the summer.

Carry Fisher offers Lily a place to stay, and Lily begins working for Mrs. Hatch as her secretary and companion to survive. Selden's warnings about social standing weigh on her as she tumbles further from her former sophistication. The struggle marks a descent into precarious employment and social scrutiny.

Lily's despair deepens as she embraces laudanum and loses her last stabilizing anchors. She attempts to use Bertha's letters to restore her standing, then burns them in Selden's presence in a final dramatic moment. She cashes in her inheritance and writes another check to Trenor to settle debts, then takes a fatal dose of laudanum; Selden rushes to her deathbed, weeping as he proclaims his love.