Sarah Crabtree was once a star of the stage, but has fallen on hard times—her apartment building has been condemned and torn down by the city, and she has nowhere to go. She writes to her friend, the wealthy and famous Lady Henrietta Scorsby, seeking help. She is soon notified that Henrietta—well known for her proclivity for travel to exotic l;locales—is missing in Africa’s Gobi Desert. Devastated by the news, Sarah—who has a chronic heart condition—decides to end her days by impersonating the carefree and fun-loving Henrietta at the Long Island estate.of Henrietta’s nephew John, who has only seen her once many years previously. She soon finds out that her friend’s family is beset by a variety of problems, and she sets out to solve their problems before she dies. However, as it turns out, those problems may not be as easily solvable as Sarah thought.