In this historical novel, we meet Alva Smith just prior to her 1875 marriage to William K. Vanderbilt, grandson of Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt. It is a strategic match: Alva needs a rich husband to support her newly impoverished family, and the Vanderbilts need Alva's pedigree to guide them into the upper echelons of New York society. Alva delivers on her part of the bargain, making enormous sacrifices to do so. But when she's forced to choose between money and self-respect, she decides it's finally time to stop being A Well-Behaved Woman.