This section serves as an epigraph or dedication, addressed 'Once again to Zelda.' It includes a poem advising the reader to wear a gold hat and bounce high to win a lover's affection, signed by Thomas Parke d’Invilliers.
Nick Carraway, the narrator, introduces himself and his background, noting his inclination to reserve judgment due to advice from his father. He describes moving East in 1922 to learn the bond business, renting a small house in West Egg next to a lavish mansion owned by the mysterious Jay Gatsby. Nick drives across the bay to East Egg for dinner with his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom, whom he knew in college. He observes Tom's imposing physical presence and wealth before the chapter ends abruptly upon their entering house.
Nick Carraway accompanies Tom Buchanan to the Valley of Ashes, a desolate industrial area, where Tom insists Nick meet his mistress, Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle is married to George Wilson, the owner of a run-down garage who is unaware of the affair. The trio travels to New York City, where Myrtle buys a puppy, and they gather with her sister Catherine and neighbors in a small apartment. As the afternoon progresses and the drinking increases, the party becomes rowdy, and Nick eventually gets drunk, observing the interactions with a detached, hazy perspective.
Nick describes the lavish, extensive parties held every weekend at Jay Gatsby's mansion in West Egg, characterized by excessive food, drink, and entertainment that attracts hundreds of uninvited guests. Nick attends one of these gatherings after receiving a formal invitation and struggles to find the host amidst the crowd. He reunites with Jordan Baker and listens to various guests speculate wildly about Gatsby's past, including rumors that he is a German spy or a murderer. Eventually, Nick and Jordan wander into a high Gothic library where they encounter a drunken man marveling at the fact that the books on the shelves are real and uncut.
Nick lists the eclectic array of guests who frequented Gatsby's parties that summer, noting the rumors that Gatsby is a bootlegger with a violent past. One morning in July, Gatsby picks Nick up in his lavish car to drive into the city. During the ride, Gatsby shares his personal history, claiming to be the wealthy, educated son of deceased Midwestern parents who studied at Oxford, lived in Europe, and served as a decorated major in World War I. He displays a medal and a photograph from Oxford to prove his claims, though Nick remains skeptical of some details. Gatsby reveals he has arranged for Nick to have tea with Jordan Baker to discuss a mysterious request.
Nick returns home to find Gatsby's house illuminated but silent. Gatsby approaches and asks Nick to arrange a tea with Daisy Buchanan, which Nick agrees to do for the following day. Gatsby sends a gardener to cut Nick's lawn and has a florist deliver flowers, but he becomes increasingly nervous as the tea time approaches. When Daisy arrives, the reunion is initially awkward and tense, marked by Gatsby nearly knocking over a clock. After Nick leaves them alone, he observes the house from outside, noting the silence that eventually falls over the mansion.
Nick reveals the true history of Jay Gatsby, originally named James Gatz, the son of poor North Dakota farmers who reinvented himself at seventeen. Gatsby's transformation began when he met the wealthy copper mogul Dan Cody on Lake Superior; he served as Cody's assistant and protégé for five years, learning the ways of the wealthy, though he was cheated out of his inheritance by Cody's mistress. In the present, Tom Buchanan visits Gatsby's house with friends, creating a tense atmosphere. Later, Tom brings Daisy to one of Gatsby's parties, where the evening feels oppressive to Nick as he observes the gathering through Daisy's critical perspective.
Gatsby fires his servants to prevent gossip and replaces them with Wolfsheim's associates as Daisy visits him more frequently. On an extremely hot day, Nick joins the Buchanans and Gatsby for lunch, where tension rises as Tom receives a phone call from his mistress and Daisy openly kisses Gatsby. After Daisy shows off her daughter to Gatsby, the group decides to drive into the city. Tom insists on driving Gatsby's yellow car, while Gatsby and Daisy take Tom's coupé, setting the stage for the confrontation at the Plaza Hotel.
Nick visits Gatsby the morning after the confrontation in the city, finding him despondent after Daisy watched from her window but did not call. Nick urges Gatsby to leave town to avoid the repercussions of Myrtle's death, but Gatsby refuses to go while there is still a chance with Daisy. Gatsby recounts his history with Daisy, describing their initial meeting when he was a poor officer, his time in the war, and his return to find her married to Tom. He remains convinced that Daisy never truly loved Tom and only married him because of Gatsby's absence. As Nick leaves for work, Gatsby prepares to use his pool for the first time that summer.
Following Gatsby's murder, police and reporters swarm his house while Nick struggles to handle the arrangements. Nick calls Daisy, but she and Tom have already fled without leaving a forwarding address. Meyer Wolfsheim refuses to attend the funeral or get involved, sending only a terse letter. Klipspringer, a former houseguest, calls only to ask for a pair of shoes he left behind. Henry Gatz, Gatsby's father, arrives from Minnesota and views his son's body with a mixture of grief and pride at the mansion's splendor. Nick visits Wolfsheim in New York to urge him to come to the funeral, but Wolfsheim refuses, reminiscing about Gatsby's ambition and loyalty instead.
