Mr. Dombey sits regarding his newborn son with great satisfaction, imagining the great destiny of his son as the inheritor to his business and his own legacy, Dombey and Son. Dombey has been married for ten years and has little regard for his daughter, Florence, who is six. He seems unaware that his wife is ailing; the narrator hints that he considers her a possession who must be honored by having given birth to his son. Florence enters the room and embraces her mother, who is lying in bed. While the doctors attend her, Mr. Dombey goes downstairs to speak with his sister, Mrs. Chick, who congratulates his son for being “a perfect Dombey” (8). Louisa, Mrs. Chick, introduces Mr. Dombey (whose name is also Paul), to her friend, Miss Tox, who flatters and fawns upon Mr. Dombey and Mrs. Chick. Mrs. Chick says that Fanny (Mrs. Dombey) simply must make an effort, but as she goes upstairs to exhort Mrs. Dombey to do so, Mrs. Dombey passes away, and Florence weeps.

Mrs. Chick congratulates herself on having forgiven Mrs. Dombey before she died. Miss Tox introduces a woman who can be a nurse for baby Paul. Her name is Polly Toodle, and she arrives with her family for an interview. Mr. Dombey notes that Mr. Toodle has several sons and clearly feels deep affection for his wife. Toodle plans to work on the new railroad when it goes through. Dombey insists that he will call Polly Mrs. Richards; that she will not be in contact with her family while she is his employee; and that she will not grow attached to Paul. Polly cries as she says goodbye to her family, but Mrs. Chick and Miss Tox praise her for having secured a position where she will have the best of everything. The children cry at being parted from their mother, including the eldest, whom they call Biler.

Mrs. Dombey’s funeral is performed, and Polly, now called Richards, feels lonely in the big house. One day Florence returns and is curious about her brother. Polly tries to make friends with Susan Nipper, the sharp-tongued young woman who looks after Florence. Polly feels sympathy and tenderness for Florence, whose father ignores her. Polly suggests to Mr. Dombey that it will do Paul good to have Florence’s company. Dombey feels uneasy around Florence, knowing he has not been kind to her, and he remembers the tender moment he witnessed between her and her mother. Florence feels hurt by her father’s coldness, and Polly finds it strange that he shows his daughter no affection.

The offices of Dombey and Son lie within the City of London. Nearby is the shop of a man who makes and sells nautical instruments. The shop is marked by the wooden statue of a midshipman and run by Solomon Gills. Solomon is an older man who lives with his nephew, Walter Gay, who is 14, and of whom Gills is quite fond. Solomon is proud to learn that Walter has gotten a job in the counting house of Dombey and Son. To celebrate they have a bottle of Madeira. Solomon has one more bottle he says he will save until Walter is “a thriving, respected, happy man” (39).

Solomon feels gloomy that his store is not doing better business; he laments that he is “an old-fashioned man in an old-fashioned shop” (40). Walter cheers him up by swapping stories of sea-going disasters and adventures, but Solomon hopes Walter will never go to sea and remain safe on land. They are visited by Captain Cuttle, who has a hook for a right hand, dresses in a suit of blue, wears a hard glazed hat, and speaks in nautical terminology. He drinks the Madeira with them, and Cuttle and Gills speak admiringly of Sir Richard Whittington, Lord Mayor of London. Solomon toasts to Dombey and Son and Walter mentions that Dombey has a daughter, too.

Miss Tox and Mrs. Chick visit frequently to fuss over Paul, and Miss Tox is pleased that Mr. Dombey notices her attentions to the child. Mr. Dombey appreciates when people show him deep respect and admiration. He feels very strongly that he does not want anyone else having more influence over Paul than he does, but he consents to recognize Miss Tox’s efforts by making her the boy’s godmother. Florence overhears Mrs. Chick saying that Florence will never be a Dombey. Susan takes offense at this, seeing how it hurts Florence’s feelings. Florence feels quite attached to her young brother and often asks to be near him.

Paul’s christening ceremony takes place on a cold, dismal autumn day. Dombey instructs Richards to be very careful with the child. Mr. Dombey is haughty during the ceremony and then invites the party to dinner. Dombey tells Richards that, as he believes it is “necessary that the inferior classes should continue to be taught to know their positions, and conduct themselves properly” (60), he has decided to give her eldest son a place at a school run by the Charitable Grinders, where he will be given a uniform and an education. Polly wishes she could see her son, and Susan suggests they pay a visit. Polly warns that Mr. Dombey would not like it, and Susan says they will ensure he does not find out.

Polly’s home is located in a suburb called Camden Town in a development the locals call Staggs’s Gardens. They see where construction is going on to lay track for a railroad. It is a scene of chaos and apparent destruction, making way for “its mighty course of civilisation and improvement” (63). Polly takes Paul, Susan, and Florence to her house. Polly gives Paul to her sister, Jemima, while she greets her children. Upon leaving, she hopes to catch her son, Rob, whom they call Biler, coming home from school. Rob has been sadly bullied for his school uniform by children of the neighborhood. When Polly runs to rescue him, she is separated from Susan, and Susan is separated from Florence, who becomes lost.

An old woman calling herself Mrs. Brown finds Florence brings her to her home, where she takes the girl’s fine clothes and gives her rags, including a pair of ill-fitting shoes. Mrs. Brown considers cutting Florence’s hair but then recalls how her own daughter gloried in her hair and desists. Mrs. Brown gives Florence directions to the City so she might find her father. Florence walks a long way and is very tired when she comes to a wharf where she encounters Walter.

Walter, comparing himself to Saint George of England, escorts Florence to his home. Along the way they encounter Carker the manager’s brother, John Carker (whom they refer to as Mr. Carker Junior), who also works at the counting house. Walter introduces Florence to his uncle, then goes to Mr. Dombey’s house to report that Florence has been found. Dombey takes an instinctive dislike to Walter and sends Susan to collect Florence. Miss Tox scolds and Mrs. Chick is severe to Polly, who is the only one who greets Florence with affection and “bowed herself over the little wandering head as if she really loved it” (81). Dombey dismisses Richards, angry that she put his son in danger and Paul will now have no nurse. He is further angered to see Florence clinging to Polly as she leaves.

Mrs. Tox inhabits rooms in Princess’s Place. Her neighbor is Major Joseph Bagstock, who flatters himself that Miss Tox has a romantic interest in him. The Major, who enjoys boasting about himself, often refers to himself in the third person as Joe, Josh, or J.B. He employs a manservant who is originally from India and whom he treats poorly, referring to him as the “Native” “without connecting him with any geographical idea whatever” (83). Noticing that Miss Tox has been frequently absent, the Major is insulted at the idea that her affections have changed. Mrs. Chick, seeing how well Miss Tox tends to the child, teases her that she will win Mr. Dombey’s heart.

Paul, deprived of Richards as his nurse, is not a thriving boy. He is often ill, and his new nursemaid, Mrs. Wickam, says he is greatly to be pitied. Mr. Dombey, in the meantime, is impatient for Paul to mature, “when his visions of their united consequence and grandeur would be triumphantly realized” (89). The narrator claims that Mr. Dombey loved his son, as far as his frosty heart was capable of love, but he adored the image of his Son more. By the time Paul is five, he sits with his father in his rooms after dinner.

One night, Paul asks his father what money is and asks, if money is so powerful, why it could not prevent his mother from dying. Mr. Dombey, who values money, has no answer to this. When he sends Paul to bed, Dombey watches Florence carry the frail boy upstairs, singing to him. Dombey is concerned that Paul is not a normal child, and Mrs. Chick suggests little Paul needs sea air. Miss Tox suggests that Paul could be sent to lodge with an acquaintance of hers, Mrs. Pipchin, who runs a boarding house in Brighton. Mrs. Pipchin’s husband died shortly after losing his wealth by investing in a failed Peruvian mine, leaving her a widow. Mrs. Chick suggests that Florence can be sent to Brighton with Paul, along with Wickham, and Dombey can visit once a week.

Mrs. Pipchin is “a marvellous ill-favoured, ill-conditioned old lady, of a stooping figure, with a mottled face, like bad marble, a hook nose, and a hard grey eye, that looked as if it might have been hammered at on an anvil without sustaining any injury” (97). She is a bitter old lady, and her house, called the Castle, is a dark place. She believes in depriving those in her custody so as not to spoil them. Paul doesn’t want to stay there, as the meals are plain and Mrs. Pipchin is stern. When they sit in the parlor in the evening, Paul develops the habit of staring at Mrs. Pipchin in consideration; the narrator describes the scene as a witch with her two familiars, Paul and the cat. Mrs. Wickham warns Mrs. Pipchin’s niece, Miss Berry, that Paul’s stare is morbid. Paul is wheeled to the seaside in his own small carriage, pulled by a salty old man. He listens to the waves and asks Florence what the sea is saying.

Walter often recalls his encounter with Florence and, when he meets her now and again, greets her cordially; he is “a frank, free-spirited, open-hearted boy” (108). Uncle Solomon is concerned about his lack of customers in the shop. One day, Walter encounters his uncle entertaining Brogley, who runs a pawn shop. Solomon admits that there is a payment on a bond that is due, and he does not have enough money to pay it. Walter goes to ask Captain Cuttle for help. Captain Cuttle rents rooms from a widow, Mrs. MacStinger, whom he is afraid to cross. The Captain gathers what money he has, along with a few silver spoons, and tries to offer them to the broker, but it is not enough. Solomon laments that he is old-fashioned and wishes he could do more for Walter, whom Captain Cuttle calls “Wal’r” (118). Captain Cuttle proposes asking Mr. Dombey for a loan.

The Major, learning that the baby he has observed at Miss Tox’s home is the son of Mr. Dombey, decides he wishes to become acquainted with Mr. Dombey, so sets off to Brighton to meet him there one weekend. Mr. Dombey is amused by the Major and strikes up an association with him. The Major is pleased as he intends to make sure that Miss Tox does not gain the interest or notice of Dombey.

One Sunday, while they are all in Brighton, Walter and Captain Cuttle visit. Dombey is indignant to see Florence so thrilled at the appearance of Walter. Dombey asks Paul if they should give Walter’s uncle a loan. Paul says they should, because Florence would like it, and Dombey says, “Girls […] have nothing to do with Dombey and Son” (130). Dombey gives Walter a note to carry to Mr. Carker, his manager. Walter is glad to help his uncle. Florence is glad also, but Mrs. Chick chides her that Florence will never be a Dombey. However, Walter realizes that, as his uncle is now in debt to Mr. Dombey, he can never hope to win Florence’s hand.