Jennie Gerhardt is set in Columbus, Ohio, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The novel tells the story of Jennie Gerhardt, a young woman who is born into poverty and struggles to find her place in the world.
Jennie is the daughter of a German immigrant father and an Irish mother. Her father is a drunkard and her mother is a sickly woman who dies when Jennie is still young. Jennie is left to fend for herself, and she soon falls in with a group of young people who are also struggling to survive.
Jennie eventually meets Senator Brander, a wealthy and powerful man who takes her under his wing. Brander becomes Jennie's lover and helps her to get an education and a job. However, their relationship is complicated by Brander's political ambitions and his marriage to another woman.
Jennie eventually leaves Brander and moves to Chicago, where she meets and marries Lester Kane, a kind and gentle man who loves her. However, Jennie's past continues to haunt her, and she struggles to find happiness in her new life.
Jennie Gerhardt is a powerful and moving novel about love, loss, and the search for a place in the world. Dreiser's novel is a classic of American literature and is still widely read and enjoyed today.