Fight Club is the story of an unnamed protagonist, who is also the narrator of the story. The book begins with the narrator suffering from insomnia due to work related stress and continuous business trips. Upon the advice of his doctor to find a support group to help him deal with his condition, the narrator begins to attend a support group for cancer by posing himself as a victim and the end result of this venture gave him the relief he needed for insomnia.

As the story progresses, the narrator's apartment is blown up and he moves in with Tyler Durden, a charismatic blond he meets on a business trip. In return for letting the narrator stay with him, Tyler asks the narrator to fight with him, which eventually leads to the formation of the Fight Club, a place wherein two people vent out their frustration by using fighting as a recreational event. The Fight Club has eight rules that must be followed by all members at any cost.