A young Washington woman faces mounting financial pressure and refuses a convenient marriage, instead entering the world of managing elite households and the social season. The narrative follows her practical efforts and inner doubts as she negotiates political favors, class pretensions, and the mechanics of high society while forming alliances with influential hostesses. Scenes alternate between satirical depictions of social maneuvering and intimate moments of self-questioning, exploring themes of independence, compromise, and the tension between personal feeling and economic necessity.