The point of view of the newly widowed Nora, an artist who stole Philip from a casual friend when he was young and lithe of figure, intersects with those of her live-in artist's model, Beth (who secretly despised him), and Sophie, the buxom housekeeper-cum-accountant (who secretly loved him). Happy-go-lucky Philip, it quickly becomes apparent, elicited strong responses from the women in his life, and one of the tensions in this erudite and entertaining novel is which woman's vision of Philip will ultimately prevail.