《嘉莉妹妹》描寫了農村姑娘嘉莉來到大城市芝加哥尋找幸福，為擺脫貧困，出賣自己的貞操，先後與推銷員和酒店經理同居，後又憑美貌與歌喉成為歌星的故事。作家以嘉莉為代表深刻揭露了美國資本主義制度對貧苦人民壓榨的殘酷性和資產階級生活方式對小資產階級分子的腐蝕性。嘉莉是21世紀末一些湧入城市尋求發展的中國鄉村女孩的代表，嘉莉頑強拼搏的奮鬥精神為當代年輕人樹立了榜樣，而她的墮落也為當代年輕人敲響了警鐘。嘉莉的生活經歷及其成功的道路帶給了現代年輕人一些有益的啟迪。

●Chapter 1  The Magnet Attracting—A Waif AmidForcesChapter 2  What Poverty Threatened—Of Granuite andBrassChapter 3  Wee Question of Fortune—Four-Fifty a WeekChapter 4  The Spendings of Fancy—Facts Answer With SneersChapter 5  A GUttering Night Hower the Use of a NameChapter 6  The Machine and the Maiden A Knight of To-dayChapter 7  The Lure of the Material Beauty Speaks for ItselfChapter 8  Intimations by Winter—An Ambassador SunnnonedChapter 9  Convention's Own ~nder-Box- The Eye  That Is GreenChapter 10  The Counsel of Winter—Fortune's Ambassador CallsChapter 11  The Persuasion of Fashion—Feeling Guards O'er Its OwnChapter 12  Of the Lamps of the Mansions m The Ambassador PleaChapter 13  His Credentials Accepted—A Babel of TonguesChapter 14  With Eyes and Not Seeing—One Influence WanesChapter 15  The Irk of the Old Ties—The Magic of YouthChapter 16  A Witless Aladdin—The Gate to the WorldChapter 17  A Glimpse Though the Gateway- Hope Lightens the EyeChapter 18  Just Over the Border—A Hail and FarewellChapter 19  An Hour in Elfland—A Clamour Half HeardChapter 20  The Lure of the Spirit—The Flesh in PursuitChapter 21  The Lure of the Spirit—The Flesh in PursuitChapter 22   The Blaze of the Tinder—Flesh Wars with the FleshChapter 23  A Spirit in Travail—One Rung Put BehindChapter 24  Ashes of Tinder—A Face at the WindowChapter 25  Ashes of Tinder—The Loosing of StaysChapter 26  The Ambassador Fallen—A Search for the GatqChapter 27  When Waters Engulf US We Reach for a StarChapter 28  A Pilgrim，an Outlaw—The Spirit DetainedChapter 29  The Solace of Travel—The Boats of the SeaChapter 30  The Kingdom of Greatness—The Pilgrim a DreamChapter 31 A Pet of Good Porttme—Broadway Haunts Its JoysChapter 32 The Peast of Belshazzar—A Seer to TranslateChapter 33  Without the Walled City—The Slope of the YearsChapter 34  The Grind of the Millstones—A Sample of ChaffChapter 35  The Passing of Effort—The Visage of CareChapter 36  A Grim Retrogression—The Phantom of ChanceChapter 37  The Spirit Awakens New Search for the GateChapter 38  In Elf Land Disporting—The Grim World WithoutChapter 39  Of Lights and of Shadows—The Parting of WorldsChapter 40  A Public Dissension—A Final AppealChapter 41  The StrikeChapter 42  A Touch of Spring—The Empty ShellChapter 43  The World Turns Flatterer—An Eye in the DarkChapter 44  And This Is Not Elf Land—What Glod Will Not BuyChapter 45  Curious Shifts of the PoorChapter 46  Stirring Troubled WatersChapter 47  The Way of the Beaten—A Harp in the Wind

十八歲的嘉莉，漂亮而膽小，性格單純，為了謀生，她滿懷著希望和對大都市繁華生活的幻想來到芝加哥，可是面對她的卻是貧困與失業。無奈之下，她和推銷員杜洛埃同居，後來又成為酒店經理赫斯渥的情婦。在紐約，一個偶然的機會使嘉莉成為演員，並大獲成功。但是豐裕的生活並未帶給她幸福，她依然覺得孤獨、無助，她不知道耀眼的光華背後有多少謊言、邪惡和偽善在等著她……