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Plot

Like most Wharton novels, The House of Mirth examines the conflict between rigid social expectation and personal desire. Lily Bart is adept at playing society's games, which expect her to achieve an advantageous marriage. Yet, torn between her desire for luxurious living and a relationship based on mutual respect and love, she manages to sabotage all her possible chances for a wealthy marriage. Gradually losing the good opinion of her social circle, she is left to try to survive below the level of "dinginess" of her only true friend, Gerty Farish.

Beautiful and well-trained as to "proper" behavior, Lily has many opportunites to marry a wealthy man, but none of them ever seem to work out. She avoids a marriage to an Italian Prince by flirting with his son; she sabotages her relationship with the prudish, but very wealthy Mr. Percy Gryce, and so on.

Her lawyer friend, Lawrence Selden, finds her attractive and delightful, but does not seriously attempt to engage her affections, since he is not rich and knows that she is unwilling to consider marrying for love.

Simon Rosedale is a social climber whose commercial success has admitted him partially into elite society. Rosedale courts Miss Bart until her social disaster renders her useless to him. Though he does offer real help after she has "fallen from grace," he requires that she re-enter society before he can marry her, thus securing his social position with a beautiful wife who is well-versed in society's rules.

Lily's decline begins when she loses the favor of her friend Judy Trenor, whose husband gives Lily a large sum of money, which she innocently accepts, believing that it is the return on investments made for her. When rumours of this debt circulate through her circle the foundations of her social standing are shaken.

Another of Lily's friends, Bertha Dorset, invites her to join her and her husband on a trip, then falsely implies that Lily has committed adultery with her husband, thus distracting his attention from her own infidelities.

The ensuing scandal ruins Lily, causing her straight-laced Aunt Julia, who is supporting her, to almost totally disinherit her. Although Lily has the power to defend herself—she has evidence of Bertha's infidelity—she chooses to suffer the consequences of the scandal rather than blackmail Bertha, since exposing her would also expose Lawrence Selden, the man Lily loves...although she never admits it, even to herself

Dropped by almost all of her society friends, Lily is forced to seek work. She takes a job as social secretary to a disreputable woman, but her dignity forces her to resign. She takes a job working in a millinery, but produces poor work and is let go. Eventually, she receives her meager inheritance. After paying her debt to Trenor, Lily dies from an overdose of the sleeping draught to which she had become addicted.