Celeste Willoughby, a beautiful heiress, full of wit and disdain for societal expectations, only has two problems: her most intimate friend Margaret, still pining over her lost love, has plans of joining a convent; and her father, vocally disapproving of her behavior, has threatened to send her to an asylum for her promiscuity.

Unable to let her friend consign herself to such a boring, fashion-less life, Celeste makes a deal. If she can find another man for Margaret to love by the end of the year, she will agree to stay. Unbeknownst to Margaret, Celeste's father has made her a similar deal. If Celeste, who has the propensity to collect proposals rather than accept them, is not engaged by the end of the year, she herself will be sent away.

Set in the Victorian Era, where sexual frustrations were high and judgments were harsh, Celeste uses her charms to guile men and defy her father all while trying to find a match for her dear Margaret, and keep her extravagant way of life.