The novel opens with the birth of a long-awaited son, Paul Junior, to Mr. Paul Dombey. Mr. Dombey is the head of the Dombey & Son shipping firm, which, in the Victorian era of overseas empire, runs a lucrative import and export business. Mr. Dombey is already the father to a six-year-old daughter, Florence, but is disinterested in her because, as a girl, she will neither be able to take over the family business nor continue the family name. Mrs. Dombey, a meek and frail woman, dies shortly after giving birth. Mr. Dombey becomes a very protective and jealous father, assisted by his sister Mrs. Chick and her close friend Miss Tox, who is secretly in love with Mr. Dombey. The day-to-day care of the children is handled by Susan Nipper, Florence's maid, and Polly Toodle, renamed Richards, who is hired to be Paul's nurse. The two women do the best they can to ensure Florence is not totally neglected, but Mr. Dombey's preference for his son is very clear.Not far away from the Dombey house, in a combined residence and shop selling instruments for the navigation of ships, lives Sol Gills, a retired sea man, and his orphaned nephew Walter Gay. Their friend Captain Cuttle, also a naval man, frequently joins them. Walter has just begun a new position as a clerk at the Dombey firm, which is important to Sol who notices declining business at the shop, and feels that his livelihood is becoming outdated.At Paul's christening, a few months after his birth, Mr. Dombey offers Richards what he thinks is a thoughtful gift as a thank you for caring for his son: Mr. Dombey will cover the cost of her eldest son, Rob, being educated at a charity school. This news makes Richards sad that her son is growing up quickly, and Susan proposes going to visit him and the rest of the Toodle family. Together, Susan and Richards set out with Paul and Florence. After visiting the Toodle family in a working class neighborhood, they are making their way back home when Florence becomes separated from them. Lost, alone and frightened, she is initially relieved when an old woman named Mrs. Brown offers to help her, but Mrs. Brown leads her back to a hovel and forces Florence to remove her expensive clothing, leaving her dressed in rags instead. When Florence is set free, she tries to make her way to her father's offices and eventually meets Walter. Walter immediately feels protective towards her, and brings her back to Sol's shop to wait while he tells her family that she is safe. This interaction lays the roots for friendship between Florence, Walter, and Sol. When Florence returns, Mr. Dombey is only marginally pleased that his daughter has been rescued and is very angry with Susan and Richards for endangering Paul. Richards is dismissed from her position, and a new nurse, Wickam, is hired.As Paul grows older, it becomes clear that he is serious, thoughtful, and precocious, but also physically frail and sickly. When he is five, doctors recommend that he spend time at the seashore, so Paul, Florence, and Wickam move to Brighton where they move into a children's boarding house, run by Mrs. Pipchin, who is cold and unsympathetic. Meanwhile, the financial conditions at Sol's shop have declined further, and he has defaulted on a loan. After consulting with Captain Cuttle, they decide to ask Mr. Dombey for a loan. He does secure the loan, but only after Dombey humiliates him for needing to ask for money. During this same time period, Miss Tox's attachment to the Dombey family has caught the interest of her neighbor, Major Bagstock, who is attracted to her and becomes jealous. He travels to Brighton and manages to befriend Dombey, who is taken in by his flattery.Since Paul's health seems to be improving, when he is six he is sent to Doctor Blimber's school, also at Brighton, to begin his formal education. He finds the school's austere and demanding atmosphere difficult, but Florence tries to help him by following along with his studies. He does inspire