In the intoxication of eighteenth century Bath society, will Mary choose wisely in love? The two offers she receives could not be more different than chalk and cheese: One, from a country parson; the other, from a dashing naval officer. Neither one is as she perceives them, so how can she trust her own judgement? Vanity makes both a poor advisor and a wretched master, and the dust from the wrong path can still cling to the garments of the penitent traveller. In the end, is there grace enough for her to be redeemed from ill-guided decisions?