Newland Archer is a proper New York gentleman, and part of a society which adheres to strict social codes. Newland marries May Welland, a young woman whose upbringing has made her the perfect wife. When Newland meets May's cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, who has left her husband in Europe and now wants a divorce, he finds himself utterly captivated by her. Both Ellen and Newland, however, are products of their upbringing and their culture, and they dutifully resist their feelings because of their separate social obligations.