A satire of London society. The plot revolves around the relationship between two lovers, the protagonist Mirabell and the 'fine lady' Millamant, and Mirabell's attempts to secure Millamant's full dowry from her aunt, Lady Wishfort. It is set in iconic, fashionable London locations -- St. James's Park, the salons of rich ladies, and the chocolate-houses that were dens of gossip and gambling -- and its characters, relentless in their pursuit of financial and social power, can be difficult to sympathise with. Nevertheless, it is extremely acute in its depiction of a society in which capitalism is on the rise, and in which marriage is less about love than material gain.