The wedding of Lady Venetia Fleetwood, eldest daughter of the Duke of Southport, is the talk of London. Invitations are eagerly prized, not least by Venetia's cousin George Morland and his socialite wife Alfreda, preparing to journey down from Morland Place in Yorkshire for the glory of being seen at the most glamorous event of the Season.But on the eve of the wedding a bombshell hits Southport House. Venetia's fiance, Lord Hazlemere, discovers that she means to continue in her attempt to qualify as a doctor. Horrified, he forbids it absolutely. Venetia, half afraid of her own determination, calls the wedding off, and from being the talk of the Season, it becomes the scandal of the year. When the Duke dies soon afterward, Harry, the heir, blames Venetia for their father's death, and cuts her off with a tiny allowance. Venetia is now free to pursue her goal, but, estranged from friends and family, needs all her tenacity to fight on in the face of universal hostility.
