Bethany Mellmoth has set herself a big goal. She wants to become a writer. Or maybe a photographer? Or an actress? As quickly as she makes a plan, it is just as quickly abandoned. Something always gets in the way. In love, Bethany also struggles to find happiness. There is no shortage of admirers, but unfortunately, none of them are suitable. And as if that weren't enough, Bethany also has to deal with the romantic entanglements of her parents. Thus, she stumbles through her life in London - from job to job, from man to man, from failure to failure - yet she never lets her spirits down: "Things just go wrong." With vigor and a light touch, William Boyd paints the picture of a young woman with many doors open to her, yet who constantly finds herself banging her head against the wall, and he tells of all the small decisions and coincidences that shape our lives.