An unnamed first-person speaker describes a fellow townsperson named Richard Cory, who never fails to look like a proper gentleman when he goes downtown. The speaker provides a brief physical description of Cory as clean-cut and slim of build.
Cory's interactions with the townspeople are pleasant and courteous. Despite his humility and normal manner of speaking, he appears to the townspeople as a special, god-like figure who makes their pulses race.
The speaker emphasizes Cory's wealth, saying that he is richer than a king. Cory is highly educated and displays his knowledge of social decorum. The speaker admits that everyone envies him, wishing they could be in his position.
The townspeople continue to work and struggle financially. Then, on a calm summer night, Richard Cory returns home and takes his own life with a bullet through the head.
