Tender Is the Night Summary

At a serene location on the French Riviera, a strikingly attractive young actress named Rosemary Hoyt, holidaying alongside her mother, encounters Dick Diver, a charismatic American psychologist. Immediately smitten, she is pulled into the glamorous, high-society life led by Dick and his wife, Nicole. However, the gaiety unravels as an inebriated acquaintance of the Divers commits murder, triggering Nicole's mental breakdown, and leading Rosemary to witness Dick comforting his distressed wife.

The narrative then rewinds to the circumstances that led to Nicole and Dick's union. A Yale alum and Rhodes scholar, Dick meets Nicole at a clinic in Zurich where he's studying clinical psychology, and she's being admitted for treatment. The wealthy Chicago heiress had fallen victim to her father's sexual abuse, resulting in her severe aversion towards men. Despite this, the duo fall in love, leading to Dick assuming dual roles as Nicole's husband and psychiatrist. Their life, marked by extensive travels and the birth of two children, seems content until Nicole's condition regresses, prompting their decision to invest in a Swiss clinic.

Tensions escalate when a former patient accuses Dick of infidelity, leading to Nicole crashing their car in a fit of rage. After learning about his father's demise, Dick returns to America for the funeral, only to renew his romance with Rosemary upon his return. The aftermath sees Dick spiraling, resorting to alcohol, ending up in jail, and ultimately losing his standing at the clinic. After returning to the Riviera, Nicole has an affair and requests a divorce to marry her lover, Tommy Barban. Recognizing Nicole's recovery from her psychological issues, Dick consents and subsequently vanishes into the American landscape, never to settle down, indicating his continued nomadic existence.