The Magnificent Ambersons is a novel that explores the decline of an aristocratic family in the face of a changing world. The Ambersons are a wealthy and respected family in the Midwestern city of Indianapolis, but their fortunes begin to decline as the automobile industry transforms the city and the country. The novel follows the family's patriarch, George Amberson Minafer, as he struggles to adapt to the new realities of the 20th century. George is a spoiled and arrogant young man who is more interested in appearances than in substance, and his recklessness and irresponsibility eventually lead to the family's downfall.