A powerful businessman, Jules, married to Pauline, a beautiful, charming and impeccably efficient socialite, begins an affair with a lovely young waitress,Flo,and sets her up in a house with a generous allowance. Before he knows it, his sexual obsession turns into a long-lasting love. He also still loves his wife although he has put her on a pedestal which, essentially means he doesn't want to make love to her. Jules teaches Flo uow to be a lady and tells her most of his business and personal secrets. Flo falls in love with him too and, although she likes being well taken care of, is not interested in his money and does not dream of taking him away from his wife, but only in having him any way she can.

There are a couple of murders and cover ups by powerful people. Eventually the wife learns of the affair. Jules has a heart attack and Pauline refuses to honor his legal commitment to take care of Flo. Flo, without money to pay her rent and expenses, decides to “tell all” to make money. But her story is squashed by powerful interests who would be exposed. She is murdered.

Jules’ stepson, Kippie, who is a ne’er-do-well and tries to extort money out of a close family friend, winds up killing him. Jules covers this up for the sake of his wife. Flo, however, learns of it and will use the information to her advantage – not for great sums of money, just for the one million Jules promised her that will tide her through.

The disappointment in this very well written, interesting tale, is that the people you want to prevail do not.

Flo is murdered because she knows too much. Kippie eludes justice, although when Pauline learns her son is responsible for the death of one of her best friends, disowns him. Jules dies of his heart attack without managing to protect his beloved mistress. Pauline, the gracious woman, turns into a shrew who will do anything she can to destroy Flo. Her refusal to pay Flo her money is what drove Flo to make money from telling her story. And her story reaches into so many other important lives, that she is murdered.

At the end, Pauline remarries to a British noble and goes to live overseas, a bit bruised through having endured Jules’ infidelity, but essentially unscathed.

The story is intermittently told through the experiences of a young writer who observes everything that goes on and tries to make it right, but does not succeed. He moves back to New York without marrying the socialite girlfriend he loves.

All in all, I would have liked to see the truth come out, and Flo being seen as the sympathetic and faithful mistress rather than a money-grubbing wanton. I wanted her vindicated and allowed to live out the rest of her life. Maybe Dunne's realistic ending has merit, but I, for one, read to escape real life.

xx, Teal