The Unnamable represents a conversation between Randolph Carter and Joel Manton (alter-ego of Maurice W. Moe) in an old cemetery in Arkham (modeled after the Charter Street Burying Ground in Salem). Manton expresses disapproval of Carter's creation of horror stories. He considers them immature and, furthermore, claims that there is no such thing as "Unnamable". However, he will soon realize his mistake.
It is difficult to call The Unnamed a story. It is more like a fictionalized literary essay, a precursor to a future series of essays titled In Defence of Dagon, in which Lovecraft will present a theory of the supernatural story and attempt to prove that horror literature should not be dismissed as exclusively immature, targeted at the masses.