Stuck in a deteriorating marriage with an ineffectual and apathetic husband, Helen tries with wavering success to fulfill her father's last wish: to redevelop the wild chinchilla population. A radical animal rights group, an internal mole, and a mysterious, handsome, and worldly.

Europeans all distract Helen and threaten to derail her plans. Yet, beneath her father's last hope, Helen's own dreams and desires re-awaken and emerge. Will Helen fulfill her father's wishes? Can her marriage withstand external temptations and sexual desire? Can Helen follow her own heart by bravely putting herself first?