In 1835, the Buddenbrock family, highly revered in the small German trading city of Marienkirche, moved to a new house on Mengstrasse, recently acquired by the head of Johann Buddenbrock. The family consists of old Johann Buddenbrock, his wife, their son Johann, daughter-in-law Elizabeth and grandchildren: ten-year-old Thomas, eight-year-old Anthony - Tony - and seven-year-old Christian. They are still living with their peers Tony Clotilde, the offspring of the poor family line, and governess Ida Jungman, who served with them for so long that she is considered almost a member of the family.

But the family is trying not to mention the first-born of Johann Buddenbrock the Elder, Gorthold, who lives on Breitenstrasse: he made a mesalliance by marrying a shopkeeper. However, Gorthold himself did not forget about his relatives and demands a part of the purchase price due to him from the house. Johann Buddenbrook Jr oppresses his brother, but, as a businessman, he understands that if you pay what was required to Gorthodda, the company will lose hundreds of thousands of marks, and therefore advises his father not to give money. He readily agrees.

Two and a half years later, joy comes to the Buddenbrooks house: Elizabeth has a daughter, Clara. The happy father solemnly enters this event in a notebook with a golden sawn-off edge, begun by his grandfather and containing a lengthy genealogy of the Buddenbrock clan and personal notes of the next head of the family.

And after three and a half years, old Mrs. Buddenbrock dies. After that, her husband retires, transferring the management of the company to his son. And soon she also dies ... Having met with Gorthold at the grave of his father, Johann firmly refuses his inheritance: all the other feelings must be silent before the debt that imposes on him the title of head of the company. But when Gorthold liquidates his shop and retires, he and his three daughters are happily accepted into the bosom of the family.

In the same year, Tom enters into his father's business. Tony, confident in the power of the Buddenbrooks and therefore in her own impunity, often upsets her parents with her pranks, and therefore she is sent to the Zazemi Weihbrodt boarding house.

Tony is already eighteen years old when Mr. Grünlich, a Hamburg merchant who has completely fascinated her parents, makes her an offer. Tony does not like him, but neither her parents nor he accept her refusal and insist on marriage. In the end, the girl is sent to Travemuende, to the sea: let her come to her senses, reflect on and make the best decision. It was decided to settle it in the house of the old pilot Schwarzkopf.

Pilot's son Morgen often spends time with Tony. Confidential intimacy arises between them, and soon young people confess their love to each other. However, returning home, Tony accidentally stumbles upon a family notebook with a golden edge, reads ... and suddenly realizes that she, Anthony Buddenbrok, is a link in a single chain and from birth is called upon to promote the exaltation of her kind. Gustingly grabbing a pen, Tony writes another line in the notebook - about his betrothal with Mr. Grunlich.

Tony is not the only one who goes against the dictates of the heart: Tom is also forced to leave his beloved, a flower shop saleswoman.

Grunlikh family life is not very successful: Grunlich almost does not pay attention to his wife, tries to limit her expenses ... And four years later it turns out that he is bankrupt: this could have happened before, if he couldn’t get Tony with her dowry and create an impression, that works with the firm of his father-in-law. Johann Buddenbrock refuses to help his son-in-law; he dissolves Tony’s marriage and takes her along with her daughter Erica to him.

In 1855, Johann Buddenbrock dies.The leadership in the company actually passes to Thomas, although at his suggestion his uncle Gorthold fictitiously holds the leading position. Oh, Tom is a serious young man, able to respect decency and possessing a business estimate! But Christian, although he spent eight years in foreign lands, studying clerical work, does not show labor zeal and instead of compulsory sitting in the office of a family company spends time in a club and theater.

Clara, meanwhile, is nineteen; she is so serious and God-fearing that it is difficult to marry her except as a person of a spiritual rank, so Elizabeth Buddenbrock without hesitation agrees to her daughter’s marriage with Pastor Tiburtius. Tom, to whom the title of head of the family and the position of the head of the company passes after Horthold’s death, also agrees, but with one condition: if his mother allows him to marry Gerda Arnoldsen, Tony’s girlfriend on board, he loves her, and, no less important, his future father-in-law is a millionaire ...

Both engagements are celebrated in a close family circle: in addition to the relatives of the Buddenbrooks, including the daughters of Gorthold, the three old maids from Breitenstrasse and Clotilde, only Tiburtius, the Arnoldsen family and an old friend of the house Zazemi Weihbrodt are present. Tony introduces everyone to the history of the Buddenbrock clan by reading out a family notebook ... Soon two weddings will take place.

After that, silence reigns in the house on Mengshtrasse: Klara and her husband will now live in his homeland, in Riga; Tony, having entrusted Eric with the care of Zazemi Weihbrodt, is leaving to visit his girlfriend in Munich. Clotilde decides to settle on her own and moves to a cheap guesthouse. Tom and Gerda live separately. A Christian who is loafing more and more and more often quarreling with his brother, eventually leaves the company and joins a company in Hamburg as a companion.

Here Tony returns, but soon after her comes Alois Permaneder, whom she met in Munich. His manners leave much to be desired, but, as Tony says to his eternal attorney Idea Jungman, his heart is kind, and most importantly - only a second marriage can make up for the failure with the first and remove the shameful stain from family history.

But the second marriage does not make Tony happy. Permaneder lives modestly, and there is no reason to expect that in Munich they will respect the nee Buddenbrock. Her second child is born dead, and even grief cannot bring spouses together. And once aristocrat Tony finds her husband when he, drunk, tries to kiss the maid! The next day, Anthony returns to his mother and begins the efforts of divorce. After which she can only eke out the joyless existence of a divorced wife again.

However, joy comes to the family - Thomas gives birth to a son, the future heir to the company, named after his grandfather Johann, for short - Ganno. His nurse is, of course, taken by Ida Jungman. And after some time, Tom becomes a senator, having won the election of his old rival in trade Herman Hagenström, a man of rootless and not respecting traditions. The newly arrived senator is building himself a new magnificent house - a real symbol of the power of the Buddenbrooks.

And then Clara dies of brain tuberculosis. Fulfilling her last request, Elizabeth gives Tiburtius the hereditary share of her daughter. When Tom finds out that such a large sum without his consent has left the company’s capital, he becomes furious. His faith in his happiness was hit hard.

In 1867, twenty-year-old Erika Grünlich married Mr. Hugo Weinshenck, director of the insurance company. Tony is happy. Although the name of her daughter, and not her own, is inscribed in the family notebook next to the director’s name, one might think that Tony is a newlywed - she is so pleased to arrange a young apartment and receive guests.

Meanwhile, Tom is in deep despondency.The notion that all successes have passed, that at forty-two years old he is a finished man, based more on inner conviction than on external facts, completely deprives him of energy. Tom tries to catch his luck again and embarks on a risky scam, but that, alas, fails. The Johann Buddenbrock company is gradually dropping to a penny speed, and there is no hope for a change for the better. The long-awaited heir, Ganno, despite all the efforts of his father, does not show any interest in the business of trading; this sickly boy, like his mother, is fond of music. Once, Ganno falls into the hands of an old family notebook. The boy finds a family tree there and almost mechanically draws a line below his name across the entire page. And when his father asks him what this means, Ganno babbles: “I thought that there would be nothing further ...”

Erica has a daughter, Elizabeth. But Veinshenkov’s family life was not destined to last long: the director, who, however, did nothing that most of his colleagues did not do, was accused of an offense, sentenced to prison and immediately taken into custody.

A year later, old Elizabeth Buddenbrock dies. Immediately after her death, Christians, unable to take root in any company, lounging and constantly complaining about their health, declare their intention to marry Alina Pufogel, a person of easy virtue from Hamburg. Tom strongly forbids him that.

Nobody needs a big house on Mengstrasse now, and they are selling it. And Herman Hagenström is buying the house, whose trading business, in contrast to the business of Johann Buddenbrock, is getting better and better. Thomas feels that he, with his constant doubts and fatigue, will no longer be able to restore his family splendor to his family company, and hopes that his son will do it. But alas! Ganno still shows only humility and indifference. Disagreements with his son, poor health, suspicion of his wife’s infidelity - all this leads to a loss of strength, both moral and physical. Thomas foresees his death.

At the beginning of 1873, Weinshenk was prematurely released. Without even appearing in front of his wife’s relatives, he leaves, informing Eric of his decision not to connect with his family until he can ensure a decent existence for her. No one else will hear anything about him.

And in January 1875, Thomas Buddenbrock dies. His last will - with the company "Johann Buddenbrock", which has a hundred-year history, must be finished within one year. The liquidation takes place so hastily and ineptly that only the crumbs soon remain from the state of the Buddenbrooks. Gerda is forced to sell a magnificent senatorial house and move to a country villa. In addition, she counts Ida Jungman, and she leaves for relatives. Christians are also leaving the city - at last he can marry Alina Pufogel. And although Tony Buddenbrok does not recognize Alina as his cousin, nothing can prevent the latter from soon putting her husband in a closed hospital and deriving all the benefits of a legal marriage, leading her old life.

Now the first place in the Marienkirche society is occupied by the Hagenströms, and this deeply bites Tony Buddenbrock. However, she believes that with time Ganno will return their surnames to their former greatness.

Ganno is only fifteen years old when he dies of typhoid ...

Six months after his death, Gerda leaves for Amsterdam to her father, and with her the remains of the Buddenbrock capital and their prestige finally leave the city. But Tony with her daughter, Clotilde, the three ladies of Buddenbrock with Breitenstrasse and Zazemi Weihbrodt will still get together, read a family notebook and hope ... stubbornly hope for the best.