Nick and Susy Lansing are a young, charming and impoverished couple who marry for love in the glittering world of wealthy society after the First World War. They agree to an unusual pact: they will live for free on the generosity of rich friends, and part without reproach if either finds a better chance. Their freedom is tested as they travel through Europe and meet temptations of money and comfort. Wharton offers a light, witty and gently ironic story about love, loyalty and the cost of a life lived on borrowed means.