Lying sleepless upon his lavish deathbed in a stale room of old-money opulence, American literary icon Sheldon Harrison battles lung cancer to its dehumanizing end. At his sprawling Martha's Vineyard estate, family and friends mourn the impending loss of a man dubbed the writer of the century. Among the sullen-faced celebrity visitors is summer intern Drew Engle, an English major at Boston University who is as yet uncorrupted by money and power.

In a twist of fate, he is the unlikely recipient of a final request from a semi-conscious Harrison. A simple set of instructions and a safety deposit box key lead Drew to the mountains of Sintra, Portugal. High above the bustling town center on the steep walls of the Moorish Castle, Drew reads an inspired confession that changes his life.

A swirling tempest of intrigue follows the revelation, threatening to bury Drew under the weight of his discovery. With members of the fabled family staring into the ghastly abyss of irrelevance, no sacrifice is beyond their savage, entitled claws. A Sense of Entitlement challenges the idea of privilege and interprets the timeless question of human value and those who build the scale.