Wealthy Cecil Fox, locally known as a major patron of Venice, has placed a worldwide advertisement for a personal secretary. Of the many qualified applicants, one of the few he calls in and who he ultimately hires is highly unqualified struggling Hollywood actor William McFly, who is well aware that based on the salary listed that Fox does not really want a personal secretary but a person for a totally different job description. That job, as Fox describes to him in simple terms, is to be the stage manager of a play to take place in his palazzo, Fox, McFly himself, and three unwitting others to be the actors in what those unwitting three will believe to be real life, as such McFly will have to use his acting skills to improvise based on what the three others do. In the guise that he is on his deathbed, Fox has called back into his life three former lovers, each who believes that Fox is going to bequeath his entire vast estate to her, only to find that each is in competition with the other two unknown to them before their arrival. Despite none of the three really needing the money, each woman does arrive as requested and seemingly wants the money. The three are: Texas matron Lone Star Sheridan née Crockett, French Princess Dominique, and fading Hollywood actress Merle McGill. Added to the mix is Mrs. Sheridan's personal registered nurse, proper Brit Sarah Watkins, who, in addition to monitoring Mrs. Sheridan's intake of barbiturate sleeping pills, is more the "maintainer" of her high maintenance employer. As each of the four women works toward her own personal ends in this situation, McFly tries to figure out Fox's endgame, which he knows is more than playing a joke on his former lovers, and which he may be able to use for his own benefit if he does figure it out.—Huggo