After years of reckless spending the aristocratic Gresham family are facing bankruptcy. Rufus, a young, handsome future earl, is forced to choose between marrying for money to refill the family coffers, or defying his controlling mother and following his heart to the sweet, girl next door.

Kevin Kwan paints sparkling pictures of the sumptuous wealth that surrounds his characters in a way that is appealing and bewitching. His writing is as witty as ever, the story takes us to far flung places across the globe, and the antics he conjures up for the ultra-wealthy would shame a daytime soap opera. Yet beneath all the drama is a story about the value of human life and how connection can save us.