The novel, a homage to old Hollywood, is narrated by Hazie Coogan, a life-long employee and caretaker of aging actress Katherine Kenton. When a gentleman caller by the name of Webster Carlton Westward III manages to weasel his way into Miss Kathie’s heart (and boudoir), Hazie is put on high alert. Upon discovering that Westward has already written a celebrity tell-all memoir foretelling Miss Kathie’s death in a forthcoming Lillian Hellman–penned musical extravaganza, Hazie worries that Westward's intentions may be less then honorable, and may even be deadly.