Sal Paradise (based on Kerouac) is a young writer living in New York City in 1947. He recently divorced and has recovered from an illness. Like many of the East Coast intellectuals he knows, Sal is weary of his traditional academic and occupational pursuits. He’s bored and sad until a friend, Chad King, introduces him to Dean Moriarty (who has just arrived in the city). Years earlier, Sal heard of Dean, a “young jailkid shrouded in mystery” (4) and was keen to meet him. Dean spent much of his youth in a reform school but recently married a young woman named Marylou and brought her from Denver to visit New York for the first time. Dean’s primary focus in life is sex, but he tells Marylou that they need to focus on their work and life plans. Sal and his friends visit Dean and Marylou where they’re staying in New York. Together, they drink beer and smoke cigarettes until dawn. Dean wants to learn how to write, so he asks Sal for guidance. Dean exudes a certain exuberance and everyman authenticity that inspires Sal.

After a fight with Marylou, Dean stays with Sal at Sal’s aunt’s house.