having trouble following the plot.

Basic plot is this- a poor man named Nick (the main character) lives in a cabin on the same land as a rich and well-known man named Jay Gatsby, who is known to throw lavish parties every night. Nick's cousin, Daisy, lives across the bay from Jay and him with her rich husband, Tom, who cheats on her. She's unhappy with her life, but hey- she has money!

Nick is invited to Gatsby's party one night and begins befriending Gatsby. They go to dinner together where he runs into his cousin's husband, Tom. Tom starts to find Nick's relationship as odd, comments about it, then leaves. Jay, who was once in a relationship with Daisy, asks Nick to help him see Daisy by inviting Daisy over for tea. Nick agrees and they ready his house for the tea party.

Daisy and Jay see each other once again, after 8 years of being apart, and start to discuss the past. Basically, she was a rich daughter who Jay courted. But, at the time, Jay was poor and rich girls aren't allowed to marry poor men. So, while Jay went overseas as a Lieutenant (and to become rich), Daisy married Tom (who was rich) despite not quite loving him and having read a letter from Jay saying to wait for him.

Jay is obsessed over Daisy. He makes scrapbooks about her and bought the house across the bay from her so he could be close to her. He and her start up an affair together while Daisy's husband Tom has an affair with the wife of a gas station attendant. Tom can have an affair, yet is furious at the idea of Daisy having one.

One day they go out to hang together in town and Tom accuses Jay of sleeping with Daisy. A fight breaks out and Daisy runs away with Jay following after her. Nick and Tom go to return home and pass by the gas station where they learn that the attendant's wife has been murdered by a man in a yellow car. Tom heads home and sulks.

Nick visits Jay and learns that Daisy is the one who killed the wife. The next day, the attendant shows up at their house and gets mad. Tom basically points a finger at Jay and the attendant goes after Jay, believing that he is the one who killed his wife. The attendant murders Jay for his wife's death, despite him not being the murderer.

Nick and Jay's father visit and talk about Jay and attend Jay's funeral. Daisy and Tom don't care and don't show up. In fact, they're about to go on a vacation and get a new house and use their money to pretend nothing happened. Nick decides he's fed up with the rich and decides to leave for the West Coast.

Hope this helps! I just finished the movie. Can't tell you anything about the new movie or the book because I've never saw/read them, but my husband says the book is great.