Annabel Fleetwood, a bright and spirited undergraduate, is looking forward to expanding her horizons and fashioning an interesting future. But marriage to Edward Townsend wrecks her plans: Edward turns from an attentive boyfriend into an arrogant and controlling husband who quashes her self-confidence and curbs her independence. An unexpected legacy helps her to rediscover the self-belief she needs to combat her husband's domination, and she clears several hurdles along the path to fulfilment in both her personal life and career. But major obstacles still confront her. Can she set aside the doubts and hesitations that threaten her prospects of emotional fulfilment? And, crucially, can she foil the machinations that ultimately endanger her very existence? Among those who figure prominently in Annabel's life are her aristocratic mother-in-law; her outspoken friend Caroline; her husband's shifty financial adviser; and Ray Forsyth, who may or may not become the new man in her life.