The book describes in the first person the life of a young aristocratic dandy, a fop and habitué of high-society salons and gambling dens, Pelham. His life combines hypocrisy employed in pursuit of his goals with genuinely positive qualities. The novel, and above all the figure of the protagonist, was conceived by the author to show how a man who is inwardly independent can avoid the corrupting influence of society.
The novel interweaves two plot lines. In one, Pelham strives by every means to attain a high position in society through love affairs, participation in sordid political games, and the pursuit of an advantageous marriage. The other, a detective strand, describes the tragedy of Pelham's university friend Reginald Glenville, his revenge upon the man who wronged his beloved with the help of various scoundrels, a murder, and the investigation connected with it.
Upon its publication in 1828 the novel enjoyed enormous popularity. A. S. Pushkin, deeply impressed by it, began to write a Russian counterpart, Russian Pelham, which remained unfinished.