Gigi, a young girl raised in a household of courtesans, faces the pressure to conform to a predetermined life of luxury and romantic artifice. As she approaches womanhood, Gigi is groomed by her grandmother and aunt to become the mistress of a wealthy, older man named Gaston Lachaille. The narrative follows her resistance to these rigid social expectations, highlighting the tension between her natural, youthful spontaneity and the calculated, transactional nature of the Parisian elite. Written in a sharp, observational style, the story examines the intersection of innocence and societal corruption within the Belle Époque setting.

Discussion often centers on the author's ability to subvert traditional romantic tropes through a lens of detached irony. Readers frequently highlight the sharp, economical prose that avoids sentimentality while depicting the complexities of Gigi's maturation. Critics often note the effectiveness of the setting, which serves as both a backdrop and a catalyst for the protagonist's eventual defiance of her family's plans. The work is widely regarded for its nuanced portrayal of gender roles and the transactional nature of love in a specific historical context.