LuAnn Collier, a small-town beauty queen from the Delta, has eloped with Burniss Winnforth, the most sought-after bachelor in Memphis, and her new mother-in-law Maggie is furious. The Winnforths are the leaders of Memphis society, and the Colliers are what Maggie considers "common", a bunch of low-class gamblers or worse, so she's not about to sit back and let this flashy gold digger into the family, not without a fight. And Maggie's campaign of gossip and ostracism to run LuAnn off is particularly vicious because she's driven by a force more powerful than mere snobbery.

Maggie's scared to death that LuAnn will uncover a long-buried Winnforth family secret, one so shocking that it could knock the family from the pinnacle of Memphis society. But running LuAnn off is a lot harder than Maggie ever imagined. LuAnn Collier is every bit as strong-willed as Maggie, every bit as tough, and with the battle lines drawn, she's every bit as determined to claw her way to the top of the Memphis social ladder as Maggie is to keep her from doing so.