Twenty-five-year-old Anthony Patch appears to have it all: a Harvard education, an apartment in New York City, memberships at all of the best clubs, and a generous trust fund to draw from. Sure, his grandfather is not happy with Anthony's lack of initiative and feckless lifestyle, but can Anthony be blamed knowing that, as an orphan, he is destined to be the sole heir to his grandfather's immense fortune?

When Anthony is introduced by friends to the beautiful Gloria Gilbert, whose hedonism rivals his own, he is so smitten that he proposes marriage. Gloria accepts-and so begins the downward spiral of their lives. While their friends prosper, Anthony and Gloria live recklessly, outspending their assets and squandering their good fortune. Will they find the fortitude to change course and recover from the humiliating depths into which they've descended?