Nicholas Nickleby's father dies unexpectedly, leaving his mother, sister, and himself in sudden financial ruin.

Ralph Nickleby sends his nephew Nicholas to work at Dotheboys Hall under the harsh Mr. Squeers.

Nicholas discovers that Dotheboys Hall's pupils are underfed, abused, and housed in squalid conditions.

Mr. Squeers publicly whips Smike in front of the entire school, and Nicholas seizes the whip and beats Squeers.

Nicholas flees Dotheboys Hall with money from John Browdie, and Smike follows him on the road back to London.

Ralph invites Kate to a dinner party as the only woman present, where Sir Mulberry Hawk grabs her dress.

Nicholas confronts Ralph about Dotheboys Hall and is formally disowned by his uncle.

Nicholas flees London to avoid arrest and joins the traveling theater troupe of Vincent Crummles in Portsmouth.

Newman Noggs sends word that Kate is in danger, prompting Nicholas to quit the theater troupe and return to London.

Nicholas overhears Sir Mulberry Hawk drunkenly mocking Kate and beats him severely in a street confrontation.

Charles Cheeryble hires Nicholas at their first meeting and arranges a charming cottage for the Nickleby family.

Nicholas and Kate arrive to stop Madeline Bray's forced wedding to Arthur Gride, and Mr. Bray dies suddenly.

Newman Noggs and Frank Cheeryble catch Mr. Squeers stealing Madeline's will, and Squeers is arrested.

Smike dies peacefully in Nicholas's arms at Nicholas's childhood home in the Yorkshire countryside.

Mr. Brooker reveals that Smike was Ralph's secret son, and Ralph, overwhelmed by guilt, dies by suicide.

After his father's sudden death leaves the family destitute, Nicholas is dispatched by his cold uncle Ralph to the abusive Dotheboys Hall boarding school. Nicholas stands up for the mistreated servant Smike, beats the cruel headmaster Mr. Squeers with his own whip, and flees across Yorkshire with Smike as his companion. Back in London, Nicholas fights to protect his sister Kate from the harassment of Sir Mulberry Hawk and is formally disowned by Ralph. A chance encounter with the generous businessman Charles Cheeryble transforms the family's fortunes, giving Nicholas meaningful work and a safe cottage home. Nicholas goes on to rescue the young Madeline Bray from a forced marriage and helps expose the corrupt schemes of Ralph and his associates. The story reaches its devastating and just conclusion when Smike dies peacefully and the revelation of his true parentage destroys Ralph.

Nicholas Nickleby's journey from financial ruin to hard-won redemption.

Ralph Nickleby backs the fraudulent United Metropolitan Muffin Company scheme to inflate his stocks and profit.

Nicholas finds a secret note from Newman Noggs tucked in his coat pocket, offering his home as a refuge.

Fanny Squeers arranges a tea party to flirt with Nicholas, who makes clear he has no romantic interest in her.

Ralph arranges for Kate to take a job at Madame Mantalini's dressmaking shop.

The Mantalinis go bankrupt, and Miss Knag, who takes over the shop, fires Kate from her position.

Kate accepts a new job as companion to the wealthy but perpetually anxious Mrs. Wititterly.

Sir Mulberry Hawk charms Mrs. Nickleby into believing he would be an ideal romantic match for Kate.

Mr. Squeers grabs Smike off a London street and locks him in a boarding house.

John Browdie sneaks into the London boarding house where Mr. Squeers is holding Smike and sets him free.

Ralph brings Mr. Squeers and a man named Snawley to Nicholas's home, claiming Snawley is Smike's father.

Ralph and Arthur Gride visit Mr. Bray and propose that his daughter Madeline marry the elderly Arthur Gride.

Sir Mulberry Hawk shoots and kills Lord Frederick Verisopht in a supervised gun duel.

Arthur Gride's servant Peg steals all his financial documents and deeds, ruining him financially.

Nicholas carries a gravely ill Smike to his Yorkshire childhood home so Smike can spend his final days in peace.

The boys at Dotheboys Hall revolt against the Squeers family and scatter free after news of Squeers's arrest spreads.

While Nicholas endures Dotheboys Hall, his sister Kate navigates her own ordeals at Madame Mantalini's dress shop, losing her job when the business collapses and starting over as a companion to the nervous Mrs. Wititterly. Sir Mulberry Hawk continues his pursuit of Kate, charming even her vulnerable mother into supporting his attentions. In London, Mr. Squeers kidnaps Smike off the street, but the jovial John Browdie intervenes to set him free. Ralph's schemes multiply as he and Arthur Gride pressure Madeline's ailing father and manufacture a false paternity claim on Smike, while treachery from within unravels their plans when Arthur's servant Peg steals his documents. The story resolves with Sir Mulberry murdering his own companion in a duel, the boys of Dotheboys finally escaping their abusive school, and the Nickleby siblings securing their futures.

The supporting events and subplots that shape the world around Nicholas.

Nicholas meets Mr. Squeers at a London inn before their departure and is immediately unsettled by him.

Nicholas encourages Smike to leave Dotheboys Hall after Smike is beaten purely for befriending Nicholas.

Smike runs away from Dotheboys Hall but is caught and dragged back bound tightly with rope.

Nicholas refuses a high-workload parliamentary secretarial job from Mr. Gregsbury because the pay is far too low.

Ralph apologizes to Kate after Sir Mulberry assaults her at the dinner party but warns her not to speak of it.

Nicholas makes his successful public acting debut performing onstage with the Crummles troupe in Portsmouth.

The Nickleby family moves into Miss La Creevy's apartment after Nicholas sends Ralph a letter cutting family ties.

Nicholas falls deeply in love after witnessing an unknown young woman nearly faint in Charles Cheeryble's office.

Charles Cheeryble reveals that the mysterious woman is Madeline Bray and asks Nicholas to secretly deliver money to her.

Newman Noggs overhears Ralph and Arthur Gride plotting to exploit Madeline's marriage for financial gain.

Nicholas visits Madeline privately and she admits she does not love Arthur Gride but feels trapped by filial duty.

Ralph visits Mr. Squeers in jail and offers a bribe for his silence, but Squeers angrily refuses and vows to betray him.

Nicholas and Kate agree to suppress their feelings for Madeline and Frank, fearing the Cheerybles will see them as opportunists.

The Cheeryble brothers discover the love connections between Nicholas and Madeline and Frank and Kate, and joyfully bless both couples.

Nicholas marries Madeline Bray and Kate marries Frank Cheeryble; both families settle into lasting happiness in the countryside.

From the moment Nicholas takes the Dotheboys Hall job despite his misgivings about Mr. Squeers, the novel tracks the key choices and revelations that shape his character and the fates of those around him. Nicholas refuses to compromise his integrity for easy money, instead building a reputation for honesty that ultimately attracts the generosity of Charles Cheeryble. The discovery of Madeline Bray's identity and the exposure of the plot against her draw Nicholas into a dangerous confrontation with Ralph and Arthur Gride. The emotional stakes deepen as Nicholas and Kate both fall in love but suppress their feelings out of loyalty and fear of being judged as opportunists. Ralph's final attempt to silence Mr. Squeers fails, and the cascade of revelations about Smike's true identity bring the novel's themes of justice and family to their dramatic resolution in the marriages that reward both siblings for their perseverance.

The decisions, discoveries, and emotional shifts that define the story's direction.