The novel takes place in a rather large American city under the big name Zenith. The protagonist of the novel, George Babbitt, the forty-five-year-old owner of an agency engaged in the sale and leasing of real estate, lives on the outskirts of the city, in the prestigious, rapidly developing Blooming Hills area. He has a family consisting of his wife and three children. Babbitt is pleased with his life, his position, both social and material, but more often at night he dreams of a young sorceress, after whom he runs and, bending to her knees, finds peace and understanding. He married twenty-three years ago without much love for the daughter of his current companion. studied at the university, dreamed of becoming a lawyer, has a friend from his student years, Paul Riesling, to whom he treats a little paternally and feels more affection than he had ever felt for a woman. Paul is married to Zilla, an eternally unhappy life, a grouchy and rude woman. Once, Paul dreamed of becoming a famous violinist, leaving to study music in Europe, but now he suffers from his unfortunate life and he has to trade in roofstones and endure a grouchy, jealous and evil wife next to him.

For her son, Body, Babbitt dreams of a university education and a career as a lawyer, but Ted, who graduates from high school, wants to devote his life to technology.

The main events of the spring for Babbitt are the secret purchase of land for a scam undertaken by some businessmen from the Transport Company, as well as a lunch for twelve people, designed by Babbitt as a “high-cultural meeting”, at which the best minds of the city and the most elegant ladies will shine. The reception is as fun as possible thanks to the efforts of the owner of the house. Guests even arrange a spiritualistic session and evoke the spirit of Dante.

In order to take a break from their families, George Babbitt and Paul Riesling go to Maine fishing a little earlier than the rest of the household. The air of freedom seems to purify their blood from some kind of poisonous excitement, irritation and makes it healthy and fresh.

When Babbitt returns to Zenit, he accidentally manages to speak at a meeting of the General Association of Real Estate Brokers. This report marks the beginning of a new round in Babbitt’s career. However, on the way to greatness and glory, he sometimes encounters offensive obstacles. Fame as a speaker does not help Babbitt to advance into those circles of society where he would be supposed to turn: he is not invited to join the most prestigious country club, he is not invited to receptions for the most influential people. He is anxiously waiting for the annual dinner of his university graduates to take place - an evening of the most fervent familiarity with such pillars of society as Charles McKelvey - a millionaire contractor, Max Kruger - a banker, Erwin Tate - a machine tool manufacturer and Adalbert Dobson - a fashionable architect. Outwardly, he is in the same friendly relations with them as at the university, but they are now very rare, and they never call him at their home on Royal Ridge for dinners (where the butler pours champagne).

Alumni dinner is arranged in the hall of the Union club, the most fashionable of all Zenit clubs. McKelvey is interested in Babbitt and even expresses an indefinite desire to meet somehow. Babbitt feels that life will never be as beautiful as it is now, when he, along with Paul Riesling and the newfound hero McKelvey, barks with all his might the old student song. The babbits invite the McKelvey couple to dinner, which she after all comes up with a few dates. In addition to them, several more couples are present at the dinner. The reception is unusually boring, as Babbitt does her best not to go beyond the established, according to his concepts, decency in the highest society. After this lunch, the Babbits have been following the socialite chronicles for a month and are waiting for a return invitation, which they were not destined to wait for. But McKelvey’s name hasn’t been off the front pages of the newspapers all week for a different reason: they have an English lord, Sir Gerald Dawke, in whose honor McKelvey even holds a grand ball.

In such a gloomy time, Babbitt, as luck would have it, has to think about Overbrooks. Ed Overbrook, Babbitt's fellow at the university, was a failure. He is extremely proud of his acquaintance with Babbitt and invites him and his wife to visit him. The lunch with them makes the Babbits the same depressing impression that, apparently, the dinner of the Babbits made on McKelvey. After lunch, the Overbrooks in the Babbit family no longer remember, nor remember that they were going to invite them to their house.

When Babbitt is finally convinced that McKelvey is not taking him into his circle, he feels himself in an absurd position and, in order to feel himself an outstanding citizen of Zenith again, takes an active part in the meetings of several clubs of which he is a member. However, Babbit gains the greatest fame thanks to his activities at Sunday school, which he helps to take second place in attendance throughout the state.

Once Babbitt goes to Chicago on business, where he finds lonely, bored bored Sir Gerald Dawke, a recent guest of McKelvey, who, it turns out, suffered incredibly from the need to lead a hectic social life in America, which he was forced by the local pillars of society, and now she enjoys spending the evening with Babbitt, first at the cinema, then in her room for a bottle of whiskey and heart-to-heart talk. Babbitt is unbearably sorry that he did not meet the high-born Englishman at the time of Zenith. The day after the evening spent with Gerald Dawk, Babbitt accidentally meets with Paul Riesling, having dinner in the company of a woman unknown to Babbit, which surprises and upsets him. Upon returning home, Babbitt is present at the second breakfast of the Pusher club in March, where the president is elected annually. Babbitt is elected vice president, which he immediately wants to inform Paul, but, to his amazement, finds out that Paul is in prison because he shot Zilla, his wife, in the afternoon. Zilla, after being wounded, is recovering well, and Paul is sentenced to three years in prison, which makes Babbitt no less than his friend.

One day a lady of about forty arrives at Babbitt’s office, wishing to rent a small apartment. Babbit has exactly what she needs, and he takes the opportunity to get to know her better. He is unsettled by Paul’s misfortune, he doesn’t count on his wife’s understanding, managed to fail in an attempt to court a young girl and comes to the conclusion that his new acquaintance, a widow named Tanis Judik, with a soft voice and an affectionate look, is that he needs to be at least somewhat comforted and once again feel a taste for life. Taking advantage of the absence of his wife, Babbitt has a stormy romance with Tanis. At this time, mass strikes began in the city, splitting Zenith into two hostile camps - white and red. Babbitt shows indulgence towards the workers, which causes dissatisfaction with all the entrepreneurial layers of the city, who decide to support the initiative coming from the eastern states, and create in Zenit the League of honest citizens as a bulwark against all kinds of troublemakers. They propose in a very insistent form and Babbit to join the League. But Babbitt does not like that he is being forced into something, and he refuses to join her ranks.

Babbitt's wife, who was staying with relatives for several months, returns home. Meanwhile, Tanis claims more and more rights to him. Babbitt decides to win more freedom for herself and abruptly breaks with Tanis. Babbit’s refusal to join the League has the most deplorable effect on the attitude of his teammates to him, as well as on the affairs of the company. The most profitable orders now go to his competitors. But most of all he is hurt that his stenographer, Miss McGowan, suddenly leaves him, as if escaping from a sinking ship. Babbitt's father-in-law and at the same time his companion, Mr. Thompson, convinces the son-in-law to take emergency measures, with which Babbitt agrees and agrees. Nevertheless, he decides to join the League of Honest Citizens as soon as he is again offered. However, in high circles, it seems, they no longer remember. It begins to seem to him that everyone is whispering about him, his nerves are more and more shaken. He already regrets that he lost Tanis, he needs a man with whom he could speak frankly, his wife seems a stranger to him. One night an attack occurs with Myra. Babbitt calls a doctor who reports the need for surgery. Babbitt is embraced by the fear that he might lose his wife and be left alone. In the morning, after a sleepless night, Myra seems to him not just a woman who can be compared to any other, but his own "I", to break with which he is not able to. During the operation, he only dreams of seeing her again and saying that he always loved only her one; mentally, he swears allegiance to Myra ... allegiance to Zenith, the club “Pushers” ... allegiance to everything that the Clan of Decent People believes.

The operation is successful; after her no one whispers about Babbit, but, on the contrary, everyone carefully inquires about Mrs. Babbit's health. He is again, but without pressure, but in a friendly manner, asked to join the League, to which Babbitt, not dropping her own dignity, agrees and forever ceases to be a room revolutionary. He is again met with open arms in his clubs, and financial affairs are again going uphill. He does not present his future very clearly, but he feels that he has got into the same networks from which he broke out with such fury, and, ironically, he was also made to rejoice that he was caught again. However, he now treats his son with great understanding and allows him to choose his own life path.