The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is a 2016 contemporary fiction novel that tells the story of four adult siblings set to receive an inheritance when an unforeseen incident involving one of the siblings—eldest Leo Plumb—drains the funds nearly entirely. Set in New York City, the novel follows the Plumbs as they are forced to adjust to a life other than what each has respectively imagined. The novel highlights the dynamic and often problematic relationships between family members, the expectations that societal class and wealth bring, and the financial pressure of “keeping up with the Joneses.”

Sweeney holds an MFA from the Bennington College Writing Seminar. The Nest, Sweeney’s debut novel, was followed by Good Company (2022); her books have been named “Best of the Year” by several publications and media, including People, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and National Public Radio. The Nest was a Barnes and Noble Discover Great Writers selection and is being adapted as a television series.

This guide references the 2016 first edition hardcover by Harper Collins Ecco.

Content Warning: The novel and this guide include discussions of substance use disorder.

Plot Summary

Leo Plumb, a wealthy socialite with a substance use disorder, propositions a server at his cousin’s wedding. They leave the party, and the server—young Matilda Rodriquez—pleasures Leo while he drives; this, coupled with his being under the influence, causes Leo to crash the car, severely injuring Matilda and resulting in the amputation of her foot. To avoid a scandal, Leo’s mother, Francie Plumb, uses her children’s inheritance to buy the silence of Matilda and Leo’s wife, Victoria.

Upon learning that the inheritance—which the Plumb siblings have nicknamed “The Nest”—has been virtually drained, Leo’s siblings—Jack, Beatrice, and Melody—invite him to lunch to confront him about repaying his debt to them. Though he has no legitimate means to do so, Leo vows to come up with a way to repay his siblings, asking for four months to do so. The deadline is set for the month of February, which marks Melody’s 40th birthday and the date the trust is set to come to maturation and be distributed. Leo, who loses all his assets in his divorce from Victoria, does not reveal to his siblings that he holds an illegal offshore bank account. Hoping not to have to rely on the fund to repay his debt, Leo sets about trying to reignite his former professional success as a media mogul. His ex-girlfriend, Stephanie, allows him to move in, and they swiftly rekindle their relationship.

Meanwhile, the three Plumb siblings must cope with the likely loss of The Nest—funds that Jack and Melody, especially, have structured their lives around. Years prior, Melody convinced her husband, Walter, to purchase a money-pit in an elite neighborhood. She has spent the ensuing years remodeling the home while focusing on the futures of her twin daughters, high school juniors. Melody sets her sights on elite private colleges for the girls—their tuition dependent on the funds of The Nest. Jack, too, has built a life dependent on The Nest. He has secretly taken out a line of credit against a second home he owns with his husband, Walker. Using the funds to prop up his antiques business, Jack is eager for The Nest to pay off so that he can pay off his debts and Walker will be none the wiser.

Only Beatrice (Bea) is not desperate for the funds. She lives a modest life as a writer, having once enjoyed literary success thanks to the guidance of Leo and Stephanie, who is Bea’s agent in addition to being Leo’s girlfriend. Bea has just crafted a new short story that she is certain indicates the end of her writing slump and will jumpstart her literary comeback. The novel also traces the actions of Melody’s twins, Nora and Louisa, as they attend weekly SAT practice sessions that they quickly decide to skip. The twins fall into a routine of traveling freely about the city without their mother’s knowledge, enjoying the company of an edgier teen named Simone, whom Nora falls into a romantic relationship with.

As the novel unfolds, Melody searches for ways to keep her house while fighting her husband, who insists they must sell it. Jack pesters Leo for repayment and unexpectedly meets Stephanie’s neighbor, Tommy O’Toole, a retired NYC firefighter who has stolen a valuable statue recovered from the rubble of the World Trade Center. Upon discovering the statue, Jack is certain that by brokering its sale in the underground economy, he can earn the funds needed to save him from financial ruin. Leo finds that the professional bridges he has burned make his comeback unlikely and thus debates whether to deplete his secret account to repay his siblings. He fears the loss of this safety net and considers fleeing the country. Meanwhile, Stephanie harbors a secret of her own: She is pregnant by Leo and has decided to raise the baby.

The novel reaches its turning point when Leo discovers that the short story Bea has been writing is a veiled retelling of his car accident. Certain that its publication will destroy his reputation permanently, he flees the country, revealing his whereabouts to no one. On Melody’s 40th birthday, Jack and Walker host a family dinner in her honor. The family eagerly awaits Leo’s arrival, hoping he will reveal his plans to repay The Nest at last. As the evening unfolds, each of the family members’ respective secrets are discovered. Melody learns of her daughters’ skipping tutoring sessions and of Nora’s secret relationship. The twins stumble upon wedding pictures of Jack and Walker: a union that Jack has kept hidden from his siblings. Walker learns of Jack’s venture into the underground economy—a decision Walker disapproves of—and subsequently of Jack’s financial situation. Stephanie reveals her pregnancy and informs the Plumbs that Leo is missing.

In the days that follow, the siblings consult their father’s cousin, George Plumb, who has served as The Nest’s executor and as Leo’s personal attorney. George suspects Leo has offshore accounts in the Caribbean, and Bea and Paul Underwood—Bea’s boss and Leo’s former employee—set off to find him. Meanwhile, Walker files for divorce from Jack, and Walter puts Melody’s dream house on the market. Jack assists Tommy in secretly returning the missing statue, and Stephanie goes into labor, giving birth to a girl who resembles Leo.

On their final day in the Caribbean, Paul spots Leo but does not confront him. Later, Bea sees Leo as well but also decides not to do anything. Leo catches a glimpse of the two as they leave the island, noticing that they have become a couple. The Epilogue is set during Stephanie’s daughter’s first birthday party. Divorced from Walker, Jack is content to live alone for the first time in his life. Nora happily attends a state university, while Louisa attends art school. Bea and Paul are living together, and Bea’s writing career has taken off. No one has heard from Leo, and they suspect he has left their lives forever.