Devon Emmanuel is a talented writer known for his journalistic integrity. He is also disillusioned with life. He works for a venerable New York magazine struggling to stay afloat by attracting a wealthy dowager interested in women's issues. She is hesitant to invest in the company because it isn't sufficiently oriented toward women.

Suddenly the magazine gets a call from Alessandra Gittleman, a woman who has spent thirty-eight years as an attorney for low-income women in Los Angeles. She's brilliant, funny, fashionable and can still gather herself into an alluring vision. Beloved by her clients, feared by authorities, she is celebrated, notorious and a woman of mystery. A stupendous piece on Gittleman might just save the magazine.

Devon's editor tells him before he leaves for Los Angeles, "Above all, get Alessandra's personal story." Devon encounters a wily, manipulative woman whose efforts to control the interview kindle his resolve to expose the mystery he's sure she's hiding. After the story is published, he is shocked by what he discovers. While exploring Alessandra's life, however, Devon reclaims his own passion for life.