Fifty Shades of Grey follows Anastasia "Ana" Steele, a 22-year-old college senio r who lives with her best

friend Katherine Kavanagh; Katherine writes for their college's student paper. Because of illness, Katherine persuades Ana to take her place and interview 27-year-old Christian Grey, an incredibly successful and we althy young entrepreneur. Ana is instantly attracted to Grey, but also finds him intimidating. As a result she stumbles through the interview and leaves Grey's office believing that it went badly. Ana tries to console herself with the thoug ht that the two of them will probably not meet each other again. However she is surprised when Grey appears at the hardware store where she works. While purchas ing various items including cable ties and rope, Ana informs Grey that Katherine wants photographs to go along with her article about him. Grey leaves Ana with his phone number. Katherine urges Ana to call Grey and arrange a photo shoot wit h their photographer friend Jose Rodriquez. The next day Jose, Katherine, and Ana arrive at the hotel Grey is staying at, wh ere the photo shoot takes place and Grey asks Ana out for coffee. The two talk o ver coffee and Grey asks Ana if she's dating anyone, specifically Jose. When Ana replies that she isn't dating anyone, Grey begins to ask her about her family. During the conversation Ana learns that Grey is also single, but is not "a heart s and flowers kind of guy". This intrigues Ana, especially after he pulls her ou t of the path of an oncoming cyclist. However, Ana believes that she is not attr active enough for Grey, much to the chagrin of her friend Katherine. After finishing her exams Ana receives a package from Grey containing first edit ion copies of Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which stuns her. Later that night Ana g oes out drinking with her friends and ends up drunk dialing Grey, who informs he r that he will be coming to pick her up because of her inebriated state. Ana goe s outside to get some fresh air, and Jose attempts to kiss her but is stopped by Grey's arrival. Ana later leaves with Grey, but not before she discovers that h er friend Katherine has been flirting with Grey's brother Elliott. Later Ana wak es to find herself in Grey's hotel room and is scolded by him for not taking pro per care of herself. Grey then reveals that he would like to have sex with her. He initially says that Ana will first have to fill out paperwork, but later goes back on this statement after making out with her in the elevator. Ana later goes on a date with Grey where he takes her out in his helicopter Char lie Tango to his apartment. Once there, Grey insists that she sign a non-disclos ure agreement forbidding her to discuss anything that they do together, which An a agrees to sign. He also mentions other paperwork, but first takes her to a roo m full of BDSM toys and gear. There Grey informs her that the second contract wi ll be one of dominance and submission and that there will be no romantic relatio nship, only a sexual one. The contract even forbids Ana from touching Grey or ma king eye contact with him. It is as this point that Grey realizes that Ana is a virgin and agrees to take her virginity without making her sign the contract. Th e two then have sex. The following morning Ana and Grey once again have sex, and his mother, who arri ves moments after their sexual encounter, is surprised by the meeting, having pr eviously thought Grey was homosexual because she had never seen him with a woman . Grey later takes Ana out to eat, and he reveals to her that he lost his virgin ity at fifteen to one of his mother's friends and that his previous dominant/sub missive relationships failed due to incompatibility. They plan to meet up again and Grey takes Ana home, where she discovers several job offers and admits to Ka therine that she and Grey have had sex. Over the next few days Ana receives several packages from Grey. These include a laptop to enable the two of them to communicate, since she has never previously owned a computer, and a more detailed version of the dominant/submissive contrac t. She and Grey email each other, with Ana teasing him as well as stating that t here are several parts to the contract that she will not honor, such as only eat ing foods from a specific list. Ana later meets up with Grey to discuss the cont ract, only to grow overwhelmed by the potential BDSM arrangement and the potenti al of having a sexual relationship with Grey that is not romantic in nature. Bec ause of these feelings Ana runs away from Grey and does not see him again until her college graduation, where he is a guest speaker. During this time, Ana agree

s to sign the dominant/submissive contract. Ana and Grey once again meet up together to further discuss the contract, and th ey go over Ana's hard and soft limits. Ana is spanked for the first time by Grey ; the experience leaves her both enticed and slightly confused by the interactio n. This confusion is exacerbated by Grey's lavish gifts and his bringing her to meet his family. Despite this, the two continue with the arrangement without Ana having yet signed the contract. After successfully landing a job with Seattle I ndependent Publishing, Ana further bristles under the restrictions of the non-di sclosure agreement and the complex relationship with Grey. The tension between Ana and Grey eventually comes to a head after Ana asks Grey to punish her in order to show her how extreme a BDSM relationship with him coul d be. Grey fulfills Ana's request, beating her with a belt, only for Ana to real ize that the two of them are incompatible. Devastated, Ana leaves Grey and retur ns to the apartment she shares with Katherine.