Lewis Lambert Strether Timeline and Summary

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• Strether arrives in Chester, England and waits at a hotel for his buddy Waymarsh to arrive.
• While waiting for Waymarsh, Strether meets Maria Gostrey, who boldly asks him to hang out. The two become buddies pretty quick, and Maria plans to go to Paris with Strether and Waymarsh.
• Strether arrives in Paris and goes looking for Chad, his future son-in-law whom Strether's fiancée, Mrs. Newsome, has ordered Strether to bring back home to Woollett, Massachusetts. Whew, that's a mouthful.
• Strether goes to Chad's apartment in Paris, but instead of finding Chad there, he meets an interesting young artist named Bilham and a charming woman named Miss Barrace. Bilham is crashing at Chad's place while Chad is out of town. The two invite Strether back the next day for breakfast. And who's going to turn down free breakfast?
• Strether attends breakfast with his surly buddy Waymarsh in tow. Strether is charmed by the young people, and he starts to wonder if he has let life pass him by by leading a boring, safe life in Woollett. Waymarsh, on the other hand, isn't all that impressed by the young people. He's way more impressed by his boring, safe life.
• Maria Gostrey arrives in Paris and asks Strether and Waymarsh to go to the theatre with her. They go, and while they're there, Chad Newsome walks into their private box. Strether is blown away by how mature and refined Chad has become since they last met.
• Chad takes Strether around Paris and brings him to some fancy parties. Strether just becomes more and more envious of Chad's cool life.
• Chad eventually takes Strether to meet a countess named Madame de Vionnet. The woman is about ten years older than Chad, and Strether senses that Chad is involved romantically either with Madame's daughter or Madame herself.
• But when he brings up the question with the artist Bilham, the artist assures him that Chad's attachment to Madame and her daughter is "virtuous." Strether takes this to mean non-romantic, but never clarifies this with Bilham.
• As he hangs out with Chad, Strether writes back to Mrs. Newsome in Woollett and starts making up excuses to delay his trip back home. He says that Chad is tough to persuade and that it's going to take some time.
• Eventually, Chad decides that he really does want to go home and see his mom, especially since she doesn't seem to be in good health. But Strether begs Chad not to go back so that he (Strether) can have an excuse to stay in Paris. How the tables have turned!
• After a month or so goes by, Mrs. Newsome gets impatient and tells Strether that she's going to send her daughter, Sarah Pocock, to see what's going on in Paris with Strether and Chad.
• Strether meets with Sarah and shows her around Paris, hoping that she'll have the same change of heart that he has. Sarah, though, is a tough nut to crack, and she's determined to hate Paris.
• Eventually, Sarah decides to leave and gives Strether an ultimatum from Mrs. Newsome: come home now or come home never.
• Instead, Strether just asks for another delay, which basically breaks off his relationship with Mrs. Newsome.
• So the Newsomes are through. But there's much more drama to come…
• While walking in the French countryside, Strether sees Chad and Madame de Vionnet traveling by boat to a secluded hotel. He realizes at this moment that their relationship has been sexual all along, even though Madame is a married woman. Gasp!
• Strether feels like he's been used by Chad and his mistress, so he decides that he can't keep living a lie in Paris. He decides to leave, but before going, tells Chad that he (Chad) must never leave Madame de Vionnet.
• Strether also tells Maria Gostrey about his plans to head back to America. She begs him to stay so that the two of them can be together, but Strether refuses like the stone cold player that he is.
• And a new man walks off at the end of the book.