其大致內容是：在第壹次世界大戰期間，主人公蓋茨比在軍隊服役時，結識了壹位大家閨秀黛西。兩人壹見傾心。蓋茨比當時很窮，娶不起這位漂亮小姐，不久就隨著軍隊到歐洲去了。戰爭結束後蓋茨比回到美國，為了能與黛西重溫舊夢，從事非法買賣，賺了很多錢。他想方設法要重新贏得黛西的芳心，在離黛西住宅不遠的地方，買下了壹座豪華別墅，整天大宴賓客，希望有壹天黛西會出現在他的的宴會上。後來他通過黛西的表哥尼克（小說的“我”）牽線，終於在尼克家與黛西見了面，重燃愛火。蓋茨比要求黛西與湯姆決裂，但黛西貪圖湯姆的社會地位和豪華生活，下不了決心。在湯姆、蓋茨比、黛西三方攤牌後，黛西駕著蓋茨比的車回家，由於心情緊張，黛西開車失去了控制，在途中撞死了湯姆的情婦。蓋茨比為了保護黛西，願意承擔開車的責任，而黛西任憑湯姆唆使其情婦的丈夫謀殺了蓋茨比。蓋茨比死後，黛西與丈夫重歸於好，外出旅遊。
在那個狂熱喧囂的年代，蓋茨比實現了壹夜暴富的夢，但他企圖通過金錢實現自己的浪漫幻想、甚至有點天真的愛情夢時，卻最終破滅了，並賠上了性命。而他夢寐以求的情人——黛西只是個庸俗膚淺、貪圖享受、毫無道德責任感的女人。在蓋茨比生前，他的別墅裏歌舞升平，人滿為患，死後卻幾乎無人送終。最終。小說中的“我”也離開了紐約，回到故鄉——那個能讓自己的思想與道德感到平衡的地方。
"The Great Gatsby" was known as the United States, "Jazz Age" and an elegy, the novel shows the two decades on behalf of the U.S. upper class stuporous, luxury corrupt life, notice the "modern American fairy tale" of the burst. With the past, when we textbooks say, is: "profoundly exposes the decadent lifestyle of the bourgeoisie and the nature of doom."
The general content is: In the First World War, the hero Gatsby served in the military when we met a lady Daisy. They love at first sight. Gatsby was poor and can not afford to marry this beautiful young lady, soon as the troops went to Europe. After the war, Gatsby returned to the United States, in order to be able to rekindle old dreams with Daisy to engage in illegal trade, earn a lot of money. He tried to re-win the hearts and minds Daisy, Daisy away from home not far away, bought a luxury villa, all day long banquet guests, hope that one day Daisy will appear in his dinner. Later, he passed the table Gopnik Daisy (novel "I") to pull strings, and finally met Nick at home with Daisy, Zhongranaihuo. Daisy and Tom Gatsby required to break, but Daisy covet Tom's social status and luxury living, is not resolved. Tom, Gatsby, Daisy, after three showdown, Daisy drove Gatsby's car to go home, due to feelings of tension, Daisy driving lost control and killed on the way Tom's mistress. In order to protect Daisy Gatsby is willing to assume the responsibility of driving, while Daisy left to the instigation of his mistress's husband, Tom's murder of Gatsby. Gatsby's death, Daisy and her husband reconciled, travel.
In that era of fanatical noisy, Gatsby achieved the dream of overnight riches, but he attempted to realize their own money, a romantic fantasy, and even a little naive dreams of love, but finally shattered, and lose their lives. And his dream lover - Daisy is just a vulgar superficiality and hedonism, there is no sense of moral responsibility of the woman. In Gatsby alive, and his villa peacefulness, overcrowding, death is almost no nail in the coffin. Final. Novels of the "I" also left New York to return home - that make their own thinking and moral place to find a balance.