Jake Howard was immensely attractive, immensely rich; he had worked his way up from nothing to become immensely successful. His wife Helen was the perfect complement to him – beautiful, intelligent, well bred. To all appearances they were a perfect couple with a perfect marriage. But appearances can be – and were – deceptive, for the marriage was in reality anything but perfect. Jake had chosen Helen purely as a lovely possession to crown his success; she had accepted him as the only alternative to earning her own living. Her only feeling for him was indignation that he should object to her friendship with Keith Mannering, while expecting her to turn a blind eye to Jake’s many girl-friends. How could such a marriage, built on such shaky foundations, possibly last?