A young girl working in a Mayfair post office is privy to the brief yet substantial messages telegraphed by wealthy, fashionable people to their similar friends. As she reads, she develops her own particular intimacy with various scandals, amours, and intrigues. Her mind captive in the cage of her workplace, and with only the prospect of a rather dull marriage to look forward to, she surrenders to her powerful imagination, her chosen entertainment being the sporadic visits of the dashing Captain Everard, and the 'extravagance, selfishness, immorality, and crimes' of the idle rich.