Desiree Grabowski is an unscrupulous, social-climbing parasite, married to one of New York's richest lawyers. At the hair salon, she meets the mysterious Alta Monte di'Soldi, an Italian countess with a shadowy past. Meanwhile, Desiree's Central American housekeeper, Ita, lives in abject terror of being deported but demonstrates a genius for fashion design that catches the countess' eye. Together, the three create a fashion empire and then fight over control of it.