The novel describes the life and career of Stoner, an assistant professor of English Literature: his teaching, his relationships at the University, his friendships, the failure of his marriage, and his love for a young professor, a relationship that will inevitably become entangled in the contradictions and competitions of academic life. "The most important element of the novel," writes the author, "is the consciousness of the work, the profession that Stoner has. Love for something is what counts."