The story takes place in the early 1900-1920s with Una moving from the small Pennsylvania town of her youth to New York to pursue education, only to leave school and enter the workforce when her family can no longer afford to pay tuition.

Initially taking a secretarial job, Una shows a talent for the traditional male bastion of commercial real estate and becomes the first female realtor employed by her firm.

On a parallel track, her quest for traditional romance and love is important but her unique role as a working woman, doing a man's job, makes it tough to find an appropriate suitor.

Una is on track to marry Walter Babson, who appears to be a good man but lacks the excitement of her eventual husband, Edward Schwirtz.

The novel was published before Lewis achieved any significant fame and provides insights on working women as well as the unique nature (for the time) of having a woman as the lead character.