The book follows finance clerk, Eleanor Oliphant, a socially awkward young woman approaching her thirties. She does not take care of herself physically or emotionally and is an alcoholic. Eleanor refuses to acknowledge she has a drinking problem, preferring to state that she is “absolutely fine" whenever she is asked about it.
Her social life is non-existent, and she is always the butt of her colleagues' jokes. Despite this, she is strong and independent in herself, preferring her own company to that of others. As the story unfolds, we learn of Eleanor’s childhood trauma, having lived in foster homes and been in a physically abusive relationship.
However, everything changes when Eleanor begins to have feelings for a local singer, Johnnie Lomond. She begins to physically take care of her appearance in order to meet him and convince him to fall in love with her. At the same time, she develops a new friendship with her new colleague, Raymond.
When she eventually attends Johnnie’s concert, she realizes that he is not all she had expected. As such, she becomes sad and goes on a drinking binge ant attempts to commit suicide. However, Raymond finds her and encourages her to receive mental health help.
