A tale of nineteenth-century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin.

Society scion Newland Archer is engaged to May Welland, but his well-ordered life is upset when he meets May's unconventional cousin, the Countess Olenska. At first, Newland becomes a defender of the Countess, whose separation from her abusive husband makes her a social outcast in the restrictive high society of late-19th Century New York, but he finds in her a kindred spirit and they fall in love.—Marg Baskin <marg@asd.raytheon.ca>

Wealthy lawyer Newland Archer is engaged to sweet socialite May Welland in 1870s New York. On the surface, it is a perfect match. But when May's beautiful cousin Countess Ellen Olenska, who is estranged from her brutish husband, arrives in town, Newland begins to question the meaning of passion and love as he desperately pursues a relationship with Ellen, even though she has been made a social outcast by Archer's peers.—Jwelch5742

In the 1870s New York high society, lawyer Newland Archer has just gotten engaged to innocent society maiden May Welland. With May's appreciation, how Newland decides to handle the announcement is in large part to shield May's cousin, the Countess Olenska - Ellen - from gossip in the engagement overshadowing her issues, Ellen who has just returned to New York from having lived in Europe in her marriage and that gossip stemming not only from her estrangement from the Count and what looks to be their imminent divorce but her seeming unawareness of the scandal such would bring to the family. As such, Ellen is already largely dismissed by the New York society crowd, except by the most disreputable within it. With Ellen planning on moving back to New York permanently regardless of what happens to her marriage, Newland continues to shield Ellen from the scandal, both in an official and unofficial capacity, not only in loyalty to May and her family, but in his growing love for Ellen himself. While May can sense Newland being distracted and suspects he is in love with someone else which he denies, she is unaware of the true nature of Newland's distraction and feelings for Ellen. With Ellen ultimately returning his affections, Newland has to decide if his love for her is worth the risk to his own social standing, regardless of if she does divorce, each of divorce or staying married having its own issues.—Huggo