The Great Gatsby Summary of Chapter 1
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The reader is introduced to Nick Carraway, the narrator of the book. Nick talks about his midwestern beginnings and how he came to the New York area to work in bonds. He moves to a small house in West Egg, which is very near to Tom and Daisy Buchanan, who live on East Egg. Daisy is Nick's cousin and Tom is an acquaintance from Nick's days in college.

He goes to their home for dinner one evening soon after moving. There he meets Jordan Baker, a professional athlete who is friends with Daisy. While everyone is enjoying their evening Tom gets a private phone call. Jordan tells Nick that the person on the phone is Tom's other woman. Daisy is also aware that Tom is cheating on her, and Jordan tells Nick that almost everyone knows about Tom's affair. She also asks Nick if he has met his neighbor Gatsby. He has not and but decides that he would like to.

Later in the evening Tom and Daisy ask Nick about his engagement. He tells them he is not engaged, and that it is all a gossipy misunderstanding.

When Nick arrives home after the party he sees Gatsby, or who he thinks is Gatsby, standing out on the grass. He intends to go introduce himself but decides against it thinking that Gatsby would prefer to be alone. So he just watches him for a minute or two but the minute he takes his eyes off of him, Gatsby vanishes.