Sarah Crabtree was once a star of the stage, but has fallen on hard times; the city has condemned and torn down her apartment building and she has nowhere to go. She writes to her wealthy, famous friend Lady Henrietta Scorsby to help, only to be notified that Henrietta--well known for her proclivity for travel to exotic 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, 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 these problems before she dies. But it turns out that they might not be so easily solvable.