Chloe is the chief editor of the successful “feminist-oriented” magazine Eve and is about to receive an award for her “#Them Too” publishing campaign. Inspired by the #MeToo movement, the series of articles exposed the sexual abuse and harassment that many ordinary women face in the workplace.

Chloe’s attorney husband, Adam, joins her for an interview. Chloe is uncomfortable when the reporter asks Adam how it feels to be married to such a successful wife, but her husband talks glowingly of her achievements. When they get home, Chloe expresses her gratitude to Adam and calls the interview “stupid.” Although exhausted, she does not object when Adam initiates sex, recalling how she once wrote an article presenting twice-weekly sex as the best way to preserve a marriage. Adam tells Chloe that he may be late for the awards ceremony the following evening, as he needs to meet with a client from the Gentry Group near JFK Airport.

Chloe checks her social media accounts, including online forum Poppit, before the awards ceremony. Alongside positive comments from her followers are the usual misogynistic posts, insulting, threatening, and objectifying Chloe. Some of the comments express rape fantasies. One contributor, “KurtLoMein,” states that Chloe is a “hypocrite” and “a coward” who “cares more about her picture-perfect image than actual reality” (21).

Chloe attends the awards ceremony with her 16-year-old stepson, Ethan. Adam is late, but Chloe is pleased to see her “octogenarian” friend, Bill Braddock, and his colleague, Jake Summer. Both men are partners at Rives & Braddock, the law firm where Adam is also a partner, due to Chloe’s influence with Bill. Bill claims to know nothing about Adam’s meeting with a client from the Gentry Group. Adam arrives just as Chloe goes up to get her award.

When Adam left Nicky and moved to Manhattan, Chloe recommended him to a friend in the US Attorney’s Office, where he became a federal prosecutor. She also helped him apartment-hunt and babysat Ethan. A year later, Chloe planned a formal dinner party for her birthday and asked her boyfriend Matt to buy her a serving platter for the occasion. However, Matt ended the relationship, critiquing Chloe for lacking spontaneity and planning every aspect of their life. Adam bought Chloe the platter, attending the party in Matt’s place, and they finally became a couple.

Chloe has secured a multi-million-dollar publishing deal for her memoir and earns more than Adam. She suspects that Adam is resentful of this disparity, although he denies it. After graduating from law school, Adam chose to become a government prosecutor rather than take a role with a private law firm. His desire to be on the right side of justice was motivated by his upbringing. Adam was determined to distinguish himself from his father, who was physically abusive to his wife and son and served prison time.

Chloe recalls how Adam once asked if she minded him working in a less lucrative field than private law. She assured her husband that she wanted him to be happy, while also pointing out that he could easily become a partner in a “big law firm” (39). To prove her point, she called Bill Braddock, and shortly afterward, Adam joined Rives & Braddock. Later in their marriage, Adam claimed that Chloe had pressured him into leaving a job he loved for one that better suited her lifestyle. Adam hates working for Rives & Braddock.

The day after the awards ceremony, Chloe, Adam, and Ethan plan to travel from New York to their second home in East Hampton. Adam claims to have another meeting with his clients from the Gentry Group, assuring Chloe that he will join them by late evening. He sends his apologies to Catherine Lancaster, Chloe’s friend and professional mentor, who is holding a party at her Sag Harbor home to celebrate Chloe’s achievements.

After Catherine’s party, Chloe comes home to discover Adam’s body in their East Hampton house. He has been stabbed to death.

At the police station, Chloe is questioned by Detective Jennifer Guidry and her male colleague, Detective Bowen. When Guidry asks why Adam failed to set their security alarm before going to bed, Chloe claims they rarely used the security system. She senses that the detectives see her as a prime suspect.

Chloe tells the detectives that Ethan spent the night at his friend Kevin Dunham’s house after seeing a movie. Detective Bowen notes that, as Chloe is Ethan’s stepmother, they need to call Ethan’s biological mother. Chloe reveals that Ethan’s birth mother is Nicky Macintosh, her sister.