Lady Iphigenia Brierley is trapped by a poverty that she must conceal from the beau monde. She lives on the fringes of society, satisfying her hunger at the ton parties to which she is invited and gambling to obtain money for clothing. The Marquess of Wessington is wealthy beyond her imagining, and has a respected and admired place in society. His return to London from travels abroad coincides with a time of crisis in her pitiable family. He offers himself first as her friend, then as her rescuer. Finally, he asks for her hand in marriage. But the question to which Genia requires an answer is...why?