Doctor Samuel Governey was born in 1890 to the homosexual Earl of Cheshire and his oblivious wife, a rich American heiress. As a victim of his parents' indiscretions and the shocking discovery of a scandalous family incident, Samuel increasingly inherits the sly, devious disposition of his charismatic father while on a quest to establish his own identity. Caught up in remarkable events of his era such as the Great War and Mafia-ruled Prohibition, Samuel at long last makes his mark in in Grosse Pointe, Michigan as the charming proprietor of a multipurpose funeral home. That is, until the untimely death of his morphine-dependent servant. As Samuel attempts to find a replacement, a young girl appears unannounced on his doorstep. Will she be the answer to Samuel's dilemma (and perhaps his heart) as he eventually tries to impress her with his riches? Will he be able to lure her in with his collection of vintage motor cars and a visit to one of his elaborate speakeasies? Or will the bizarre mementos from his African expeditions scare her away? While more surprises, both planned and unplanned are revealed, discover who actually prevails in the end. Or is there a victor after all?