The narrative centers on the nocturnal dream-state of an innkeeper named Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker, whose subconscious mind becomes a repository for the entirety of human history. As Earwicker sleeps in his Chapelizod home, his psyche fractures into a multitude of archetypal figures representing the cyclical nature of existence. The text operates through a non-linear, multi-lingual stream of consciousness that defies traditional plot progression. Readers encounter a world where logical constraints are replaced by linguistic puns, portmanteau words, and shifting identities that mirror the fluid nature of dreams.

Discussion often centers on the extreme linguistic complexity that characterizes the work, which many critics view as a radical departure from conventional novelistic structure. Readers frequently highlight the difficulty of navigating the text, noting that it requires a specialized approach to decode the dense layers of puns and cultural allusions. The balance between character development and abstract thematic exploration remains a subject of debate, as the protagonist's identity is constantly subsumed by the weight of historical and mythological references. Many scholars emphasize that the atmosphere is intentionally disorienting, designed to replicate the chaotic and associative logic of the human dream state.