Things is a rather short novel, with only 157 pages. The first chapter is unlike those of most other works of fiction, as it focuses only on objects, or, as the title puts it, "Things". Every aspect of the apartment in which two people live is described, from the furniture to the carpeting.
The main human characters in the novel are Jerome and Sylvie, but it is hard to tell the difference between them. Perec makes a point to not give either of them distinctive character traits, instead describing only what they do together. Because what they do together often involves "things", there is "no reason" for them to have distinctive traits because each can manipulate the things in the same way.
Jerome and Sylvie are freelance workers for large companies, focusing on market research. This means they poll the opinions of the public, which was often seen as a nuisance at the time. Nevertheless, they are adamant about their profession, and have much to be discovered in their lives, as they are only in their twenties.
Though they have lots of free time, their jobs don't pay very well, so they are not always able to get all of the things that they want. They often are eager to find a free place to eat, because they would rather not use their income towards food money.
The novel, divided into two parts, focuses mostly on Jerome and Sylvie as a couple in the first part. The second part of the novel, which is much shorter, focuses more on their individuality as they leave France and head for Tunisia, where there are more opportunities for employment. Although they do find well-paying jobs there and earn money, they start to become less obsessed with material things, and more on their feelings for each other. They eventually move back to France, but are not as happy as they once were, yearning for things that they could "never" have.
