A sophisticated novel about the excesses and lifestyle of the fabulously rich in 1895 New York and Newport. A scandalous newspaper story creates a crisis for the unconventional heroine, forcing her to choose between her tycoon husband, the British marquess who seduced her at fifteen, and her latest very young lover. The contrasts between rich and poor are stunning: she plans to ride a camel into her ballroom while a sweatshop burns and a mob invades the grounds of her mansion. Reviewers say: unforgettable and provocative, successor to Wharton and Auchincloss, first-rate historical fiction.