In autumn 1943, the unnamed narrator befriends Holly Golightly. The two are tenants in a brownstone apartment in Manhattan's Upper East Side. Holly (age 18–19) is a country girl turned New York café society girl. As such, she has no job and lives by socializing with wealthy men, who take her to clubs and restaurants, and give her money and expensive presents; she hopes to marry one of them. According to Capote, Golightly is not a prostitute, but an "American geisha".[3]
As the novella opens, we are introduced to an unnamed narrator who reflects back on his friendship with Holly Golightly. Another old friend, Joe Bell, reaches out to the narrator because he believes a wood carving that he has come across depicts Golightly. We can assume many years have passed, as the carving is said to be from 1956.
The narrator recalls the specific night he meets Holly. She climbs through his window in order to escape the man that came home with her that night. She mentions the resemblance the narrator has to her brother, Fred, and asks if she can call him that. As they continue to talk, Holly realizes it is Thursday, and explains to the narrator that she visits a prisoner, Sally Tomato, every Thursday in exchange for $100.
We are introduced to a slew of characters that are constantly coming in and out of Holly's apartment. During this scene, she strikes up a conversation with our narrator about how Tiffany's is the only place that calms her when she's feeling anxious or overwhelmed. The title is attributed to this scene.
The narrator and Holly's friendship develops, but they feud over a trifling matter. However, when the narrator suspects Holly is being watched, he decides it may be right to break the feud to warn her about this person. He is confronted by the man who has been watching her. The man tells the narrator of Holly's past. He divulges that she was born Lulamae Barnes, and that he is her husband, Doc Golightly. Doc tries to persuade her to come back to Texas with him, but she insists she must stay in New York. They part ways.
Holly finds out her brother has died in the war and this sends her into an emotional down spiral. She eventually strikes up a relationship with a character named Jose Ybarra-Jaegar and plans to move to Brazil with him.
Eventually, Holly's visits to the prison draw suspicion and she is arrested after further evidence unveils that Sally Tomato was running a drug ring. Jose sends her a letter explaining that he does not see a future with her because of her arrest. After getting out on bail, she plans to leave and go to Brazil without Jose. Before leaving, she sets her cat loose—the cat that she had never given a name. The narrator receives a brief note from her, but hears nothing else. He hopes, though, she has found a place that feels like home.[4]
