The novel tells the story of Lara Cameron, a successful real estate developer who came from a broken family in Nova Scotia.

Lara's mother and her male twin die during their birth and her Scottish father, who collects rents for boarding houses, doesn't want her.

To acquire a fine piece of land, she makes a deal with the owner of the boarding house to secure her first building in exchange for her body.

Even though she encounters many problems, she is able to overcome them all and become one of America's most successful businesswomen, and receives the nickname, "Iron Butterfly."

[1] A negative review for Publishers Weekly criticized the characterization, and called the book "a barely tepid potboiler".