Piper Bellinger is the protagonist, female romantic lead, and one of the point-of-view characters in It Happened One Summer. Piper is a blonde, blue-eyed, 28-year-old woman, presumably of European ancestry, who lives in Los Angeles with her mother, wealthy stepfather, and sister. Her father died when she was four years old.

When the story opens, Piper is engaged in a lifestyle that consists mostly of shopping, going to parties, and being seen both in person and through social media. She is slender and very attractive but not, initially, portrayed as having much depth. Her longest romantic relationship is three weeks; she doesn’t have a job or interests; and her decision to break into the Mondrian Hotel shows that she can be reckless and impulsive. She is portrayed as being the stereotype of a party girl whose fame rests on her wealth and attractiveness rather than her talents.

Piper’s development as a character involves learning to be responsible, self-sufficient, and thoughtful of others. Brendan’s view of Piper reflects her development. When Brendan first sees Piper, she seems ridiculous and out of place with her floppy hat and lipstick-shaped purse, “wrists limp and drawn up to her shoulders, as if she was afraid to touch something” (31).