A secret eve of deathbed marriage overturns a will, thus upsetting all a rich family's applecarts. A rich old man knows that he is dying. Haunted by memories of a woman whom he loved, had a child by, but never married, he goes through a secret wedding ceremonywith her, and in his will leaves her and their daughter, Abby 200,000 pounds each. After his death, Abby - a single mother on the dole - finds the marriage certificate and discovers from a lawyer that this, plus the strange wording of the will, entitles her tohis whole estate and disinherits his legitimate son & daughter. Abby is hardly money grabbing, but she's determined to claim what is rightfully hers. Complications ensue, however, as she meets Simon, her childhood friend, and suddenly all sorts of assumptions about the future are thrown into disarray. The power of money, snobbery and lust to overrule morality in even the most respectable is the theme of this observant, amusing and warm hearted novel.