The following version of this book was used to create this guide: Rowley, Steven. The Celebrants. Putnam, 2023.

Rowley's novel is divided into six chapters, most corresponding with the so-called "funeral" of one of the major characters.

In the first chapter, the five friends -- Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig, and Marielle -- gather at Big Sur in the present day at a house they used to spend time at in college about three decades before. They talk about Alec, a friend of theirs who died in college when he was 22. After his death, they come up with a pact to hold funerals for each other while they are all still alive so they can celebrate their lives while they are still living. Jordan's cancer has metastasized, leading to a terminal prognosis, which is why he has gathered them here. In the "Jordans" section of this chapter, Jordy and Jordan are in the hospital room, awaiting the doctor's return.

The next chapter flashes back to 1995, days after Alec's death. Jordan and Jordy, who are married in the present, have just started dating. Marielle, who was dating Alec at the time, was the one to find his body in the student lounge after he died. Later that night, Marielle suggests the idea of the pact. Jordy and Jordan are moving to opposite coasts after graduation, which is in just a few weeks. Meanwhile, Marielle goes to Craig's room and the two have sex. Then, in the "Jordans" section, Jordy and Jordan have learned that Jordan's cancer has returned. Jordy suggests they gather their friends at Big Sur for Jordan's funeral while he is still alive.

Marielle's funeral in 2013 is next. The following chapter begins with Marielle meeting a man named Max five weeks after Alec's death. Marielle has become pregnant, and the two marry before the daughter, Mia, is born. Max becomes absent and has lots of affairs and the two get a divorce years later when Mia is a teenager; this is when Marielle calls for her funeral at Big Sur. Craig is a successful art gallerist now, and Naomi works for a highly successful music label. Jordan and Jordy, now married, arrive soon after. After dinner together that night, they use a Ouija board to try to contact Alec, and the board spells out MIA. The next morning, Craig asks about Mia, apparently thinking he may be her father after the two had sex that one night after Alec's death. They hold Marielle's funeral the next day. In the "Jordans" section, Jordy and Jordan go through Jordan's closet to figure out where to send the clothes after he dies.

Naomi's funeral is called for in 2016 after her parents die in a plane crash in the following chapter. She wants to go to Mexico, and the five friends convene there. Naomi drunkenly calls the front desk on the first night to tell them she wants to fly; she books them for a skydiving trip the next day. They go to the instructor the next day and go up in a plane. Naomi gets the pilot to allow her to operate the plane for a second, but she starts crying because of her parents' death and accidentally noses the plane down, causing the skydiving instructors to panic and tell them they need to jump now. They all jump out, except for Naomi, who is too scared. When the plane lands, she learns that Jordan's parachute did not open, forcing them to use the reserve. The next day, Naomi eulogizes herself at the funeral. The "Jordans" section finds the two reminiscing about the night that Jordy appeared on Jordan's doorstep from Los Angeles, and Jordan confesses he had been seeing someone when Jordy appeared but was happy he picked Jordy.

The next chapter sees Craig holding his funeral. He has just had to plead guilty for fraud. He calls Marielle that night to commiserate. The friends all show up to surprise him, and Marielle confesses that she triggered the funeral pact for Craig. At dinner that night, Jordy confesses that Alec had told him he tested positive for HIV shortly before his death. Marielle is absolutely furious about the fact he never told her, and she and Naomi storm out. The two women decide to abandon the pact, but they run into Mia on the street as they walk. They go back to Craig's loft and they all get introduced, and Craig convinces them to bring the pact back. The friends go to an art museum with Mia the next day, and in private, Marielle tells Craig she is convinced he is her father. Afterwards, they go back to Craig's building and a man named Tuffy is there. Naomi has hired him to talk to Craig, as he is a prison consultant. The next day, the friends take mushrooms and go on a cruise of New York. They hold Craig's funeral there. In the "Jordans" section, Jordy and Jordan get in a fight at a restaurant when Jordan says he wants to discontinue his cancer treatment. Jordy convinces him to hold his funeral.

Jordan's funeral takes place in the next chapter at Sur la Vie. Jordan has six to nine months left to live. Jordan triggers the funeral pact on Jordy's behalf, meaning his funeral will not be had, bonding the friends together even after his death. They drive into San Francisco the next day so Jordy can take part in a swimming race. Jordy is invigorated during the swim, even though he sees a shark during it. Meanwhile, Jordan goes to the shore to meet Jordy when he finishes, telling the friends to look out for Jordy after he dies. Jordan passes out when Jordy arrives at the shore. When they all arrive home, Craig tells Marielle that he wants to move to Oregon, where she lives, in order to spend time with her. They hold Jordy's funeral that night.

The novel concludes with Jordan's obituary.