Griet fits in nicely to the Vermeer household, gaining complements for her work from each of the family members except Catharina and her shrewd daughter, Cornelia. It becomes very apparent early on that Pieter the son, the son of the butcher, has feelings for Griet, even though she is only interested in her master, Vermeer. One of the jobs Griet is expected to perform at the Vermeer household is to buy meats from the butcher, Pieter. Her infatuation grows every day, so that when he speaks to her for the first time, she physically begins to shake. Throughout the first few months at the Vermeers, Griet does not see the painter again, but can sense him around every corner. Griet also meets Maria Thins, Catharina's mother, and her maid, Tanneke. The next day, Griet travels to the Vermeer household and meets their five children, including their daughter Cornelia, a seven-year-old with a wicked streak that is immediately apparent. Griet is forced into work when her father, a tile painter, loses his eyes in a kiln explosion and she needs to help her family raise money to eat. It is clear, even from this opening scene, that Vermeer and Griet have a connection and that Catharina is annoyed by it. Vermeer is intrigued by Griet's natural artistic interest and hires her on the spot. She places the vegetables in this order because, she claims, otherwise the colors fight each other.
Griet has been cutting vegetables for the soup and has separated them by color in a wheel: turnips, carrots, leeks, red cabbage, and onion.
The novel opens with Vermeer and his disheveled -wife, Catharina, visiting Griet's family to have a look at the girl they hope to hire.
The Girl with a Pearl Earring is the story of Griet, a sixteen-year old girl who is hired by the famous painter, Vermeer, to clean his studio.
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