Kelly Wilder becomes recently widowed from a much older wealthy man with whom she spent her married life, as she says, 'pretending to be a whole lot more conservative and stupid and nicer than I really am.' Now, with too much time and money on her hands, Kelly has absolutely no idea what happens next. So, on a whim she signs up for a ballroom dancing class, and begins to rebuild her life with the help of friends old and new.

Risking her safe but lackluster marriage in an affluent Southern suburb to embark on an affair that she believes is more fulfilling, Elyse challenges the decisions her book-club friends have made about their own relationships and freedoms.