Jurgis Rudkus, a young Lithuanian, dreams of a better life in America with his love, Ona. Determined to marry her after the death of her father, they journey to Chicago with her family. However, the harsh realities of immigrant life soon take their toll on their dreams.

A New Beginning in America

Jurgis arrives in America alongside Ona’s family, filled with hope for the future. Besides Jurgis and Ona, their party includes Jurgis’s father, Dede Antanas; Ona’s stepmother, Elzbieta; her brother, Jonas; her cousin, Marija; and Elzbieta’s six children. The family’s funds are almost depleted by the time they reach Chicago. Urgently needing income, Jonas, Marija, and Jurgis find work in the stockyards, although Dede Antanas struggles to secure a job due to his age.

False Promises and Hard Work

Deciding that purchasing a home on installments would be better than renting, the family falls prey to a dishonest agent who sells them a dilapidated house disguised with a fresh coat of paint. Despite the exhausting nature of his work, Jurgis considers himself fortunate to earn forty-five dollars a month. Dede Antanas eventually acquires a job at the plant by offering part of his wages to the foreman. In time, Jurgis and Ona gather enough money to afford their wedding feast, and they marry, only to find their financial needs growing once more.

Tragedy and Union Involvement

To supplement the family’s income, Elzbieta lies about her son Stanislovas’s age to get him employed at the plant. Ona continues working, and Dede Antanas perseveres in a damp, cold workspace that eventually leads to his death from consumption, leaving the family with barely enough to cover burial costs. The winter months exacerbate their troubles, causing suffering in their poorly built home. As Marija loses her job and family income dwindles, Jurgis joins a union, hoping to improve their circumstances, and begins night classes to learn English.

Summer's Trials and a New Life

The oppressive summer heat arrives, accompanied by swarms of flies. Marija secures a job as a beef trimmer, despite the high risk of blood poisoning. Ona gives birth to a healthy boy named Antanas, but the subsequent winter proves harsh. Jurgis injures his ankle, leaving him unable to work for months, during which two more of Elzbieta’s children leave school to sell newspapers. Once he recovers, Jurgis struggles to find employment due to his diminished physical state, until he reluctantly takes a position at a fertilizer plant, a notoriously hazardous job.

Desperation and Betrayal

With one of Elzbieta’s daughters now taking care of the children, Elzbieta also seeks work. The pressures of life push Jurgis towards alcohol, while Ona's health deteriorates with a severe cough and bouts of hysteria. To save her job, Ona endures unwanted advances from her boss, Connor. Jurgis, upon discovering this betrayal, assaults Connor and ends up in jail for thirty days. In prison, Jurgis reflects on the injustices he has faced and resolves to view society as an adversary.

Loss and Wandering

After serving his sentence, Jurgis returns to find his family forcibly relocated after losing their home. He locates them in a cramped rooming house, where Ona is in labor. Tragically, both Ona and the baby die before a midwife can be secured. With only his son Antanas left, Jurgis seeks employment but is blacklisted for attacking Connor. He eventually finds work at a harvesting machine factory but is soon laid off due to a lack of orders.

Grief and Escape

Jurgis finds employment in the steel mills and temporarily saves money by living nearby. One weekend, upon returning home, he discovers that Antanas has drowned in front of their house. Overcome by grief and guilt, Jurgis flees, joining the ranks of itinerant workers and regaining his strength in the countryside. In autumn, he makes his way back to Chicago and gets a job in tunnel construction, only to be injured and end up begging after his release from the hospital.

Crime and a Glimmer of Change

Luck strikes when Jurgis obtains a hundred-dollar bill from a drunken packing owner’s son. Yet, a barkeeper attempts to swindle him, leading to another arrest for assault. In jail, Jurgis reconnects with Jack Duane, a safecracker he met previously. Upon release, Jurgis joins Duane in crime, embracing the underbelly of Chicago and finally earning some money. As a political worker, he observes the demands of unionized packing plant workers, and during a strike, he becomes a scab, eventually earning a managerial position.

A Chance Encounter and New Hope

His run-in with Connor leads to another violent confrontation, forcing Jurgis to flee once more to avoid imprisonment. On the brink of despair, he stumbles upon a socialist meeting, experiencing an epiphany akin to a religious conversion. With renewed hope, he secures a job at a socialist-run hotel, marking the start of a new chapter filled with optimism and purpose.