Alison Poole, the voice and heart of our tale, is the soul through which we navigate this world. At the tender age of twenty, she bears the weight of someone who's lived a thousand lifetimes. Her eyes have glimpsed the vast panoramas of existence, each horizon blending into the next. Her days are a carousel of fleeting highs, with each peak revealing the void lurking beneath a life of perpetual thrill-seeking. Acting is the solitary beacon of purpose piercing through her disillusionment, with her teacher's commendations shining brighter than any fleeting pleasure. To Alison, her family and friends are more of a burden than a blessing; her sister, Rebecca, looms as an embellished mirror of Alison's potential future, ensnaring men for the comfort of wealth. Meanwhile, their father, engrossed in his own pursuits with women young enough to be Alison, neglects the stability she craves. In her heart, Alison reserves her truest affection for her grandparents and youngest sister—figures absent from the narrative, yet pivotal in her life story.

Enter Dean Chasen, a thirty-two-year-old stockbroker with literary aspirations, who unwittingly becomes a focal point in Alison's life. Their brief rendezvous unfolds with the caution of two wary souls, hesitant yet compelled. Recently severed from a relationship, Dean appears to seek only companionship, a fact Alison later discerns. Yet, her aching solitude after a betrayal with his friend, Skip Pendleton, hints at the unspoken potential their bond might have held.

Didi embodies the quintessential party goddess—captivating, sultry, and perpetually accompanied by cocaine. Alison's emotions towards Didi are a tempest of contradiction; admiration for Didi's allure mingles with an acute sense of inadequacy. Yet, she is acutely aware of Didi's domineering nature and the chaos of her substance abuse. Alison steps in to assist Didi towards rehabilitation, though the transformation leaves her conflicted, as Didi's newfound zeal to chastise their circle echoes the very fervor she once employed to persuade them into her habits.

In Alison's world, dissatisfaction is the common denominator binding her companions, each one insatiably grasping for more—be it riches, intimacy, or adrenaline. Amongst this ceaseless quest for excess, Alison's connection with Alex, her first love, stands as a rare bastion of genuine contentment. Although their romance has morphed into platonic affection, it remains a cornerstone of stability within Alison's turbulent existence, and thus, within the storyline itself.