This Side of Paradise centres on Amory Blaine, a young Midwesterner who, convinced that he has an exceptionally promising future, attends boarding school and later Princeton University. Amory has an unsuccessful attempt at love, and is shipped overseas to serve in World War I. When Amory returns home, he struggles to find love among the status driven women of New York City.

This Side of Paradise is F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel. Published in 1920 and taking its title from a line of Rupert Brooke's poem Tiare Tahiti, the book examines the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is clearly based on Fitzgerald. Both are from the Midwest, attended Princeton, served in the army, and had a failed romance with a debutante. The novel explores the theme of love warped by greed and status seeking.