In the heart of the Armine familys financial turmoil, young Ferdinand Armine faces a daunting predicament. Burdened by his grandfathers massive debts and his fathers inability to rectify the situation, Ferdinand finds himself in dire straits. With his meager income and mounting debts from his time in Malta, the only solution appears to be a strategic marriage to his cousin, Katherine, the heiress to their grandfathers fortune. While Katherine admires Ferdinand as much as their grandfather did, he sees the union as a necessity rather than a romance. Just as he resigns himself to a loveless future, fate intervenes with a chance encounter with the enchanting Henrietta Temple, igniting a passion that turns Ferdinands world upside down. This semi-autobiographical novel marks Benjamin Disraelis first true success, inspired by his own affair with the married Henrietta Sykes.