Fleur Daxeny is beautiful, unscrupulous, and has a wardrobe full of black suits from the best fashion designers. Using advertisements in the Times, she collects information about funerals among the rich. Its victims are grief-stricken widowers. Fleur entangles them with her charms, gets to the credit card and makes off with the loot.

Richard Favour, a boring but wealthy businessman, meets Fleur at a funeral service for his wife. He is completely smitten. Gradually, Fleur charms his children as well. Fleur involuntarily becomes attached to them, but, rummaging through Richard's business papers, she finds out that she is not the only one hunting for his money.

Madeleine Wickham is the real name of the writer Sophie Kinsella, the author of the super-popular series of novels about the Shopaholic.