Normal People is set in the small town of Carricklea and Trinity College in Dublin and follows two Irish teenagers, Marianne and Connell, as they navigate high school and, later, their college years together.
During their high-school years, Connell is popular while Marianne is an out-and-proud loner, but when Connell picks up his mother from her job as Marianne's mother's house cleaner, they form a secret bond. Determined to keep it a secret, they pretend they don't know one another at school, and it isn't until they are both studying at Trinity College that they take their relationship public.
Normal People is alternately told from the perspectives of Connell and Marianne as they navigate the complex emotions that come with friendship, growing up, and falling in love for the first time.