The narrative flashes back two weeks to a birthday party for the narrator’s husband, Roy Davies. The narrator, Jodie, overhears Roy’s friends—Meredith, Eileen, and Barb—gossiping about her. They discuss how Jodie and Roy married less than three months after meeting, that Jodie is 20 years younger than Roy, and that she was rumored to have been pregnant before quickly losing the baby. Jodie privately thinks of Meredith, Eileen, and Barb as “the harpies.” She notices the housekeeper, Marie, smirk when she realizes Jodie has overheard the gossip.

Later, Roy tells everyone the story of how he met Jodie when she was a waitress who accidentally spilled a tray of Oysters Mornay on him at a gala. The group conversation eventually turns to Roy’s first wife, Deborah, who died by suicide. Roy mentions he wrote to Deborah’s parents to inform them of the remarriage. Jodie says nothing but reveals to the reader that she intercepted and discarded his letter. Meredith speaks glowingly of Deborah, calling her part of a “golden couple.” Looking at Meredith’s portrait, Eileen then remarks that Jodie looks a little like Deborah. Losing her temper, Jodie asks why someone with such a perfect life would “shoot herself in the face” (16).

After Jodie’s disruptive question, a hush falls and Roy barks at her. Meredith drops and shatters her champagne glass. Jodie offers to clean it up and goes to the kitchen. There, she contemplates putting a sharp piece of the broken glass into the slice of birthday cake she plans to serve Meredith, as revenge for Meredith’s callous remark about her supposed miscarriage. Jodie reveals to the reader that she was never pregnant and had used a fake positive test ordered online.

Jodie’s plan is interrupted when Eileen enters the kitchen. Eileen shows Jodie a photo of Deborah and points out that they share the same unusual, attached earlobes, suggesting they might be related. Agitated by this observation, Jodie denies any family connection and intimidates Eileen into promising not to mention the resemblance to Roy. She discards the shard of glass, chiding herself: “You’re not going to make friends that way!” (22).

Once the party guests have left, Roy angrily confronts Jodie about her insensitive comment concerning Deborah, accusing her of jealousy. Jodie defends herself, arguing that the story of Deborah’s perfect life ending in suicide doesn’t make sense.

Before bed, Jodie washes with one of the miniature soaps she loves. This triggers a memory from her traumatic childhood. She recalls visiting her father’s cousin’s house, which was large and beautifully kept in contrast to their own dirty home. While there, she stole a handful of small, decorative soaps from the bathroom. When her mother found out about the theft, she brutally beat Jodie with a belt. As further punishment, she was locked in the cellar overnight. Her sister, Deb, stayed by the locked door all night, comforting her. Jodie thinks about how much she loved Deb, and it becomes clear that Roy’s late wife, Deborah, was Jodie’s sister.

Jodie reveals that when her sister, Deb, met and married Roy, Jodie was serving a five-year prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter. Before Roy entered the picture, the sisters had planned to open a catering business together called “Deb & Jo’s Petits Fours” after Jodie’s release (30).

Following the marriage, Deb’s phone calls to Jodie became less frequent, and her cheerful demeanor faded. During their last-ever conversation, a terrified Deb whispered that her husband scared her before abruptly hanging up. Jodie never heard from her again. Weeks later, Jodie called her mother, who coldly informed her that Deb had died by suicide three weeks prior—meaning she had died only days after that last call.

Convinced Roy murdered her sister, Jodie recounts the complex plan she set in motion after her release from prison. She legally changed her name from Joanne Adams to Jodie Smith, dyed her hair, and began stalking Roy to learn his routine and home address. Her original goal was to get inside his house by offering herself as a cheap all-around domestic worker.

She orchestrated their meeting at a charity gala by intentionally spilling a tray of oysters on him as a pretext to give him her phone number. When Roy called after two weeks, asking her on a date, Jodie adapted her strategy. Six weeks into their relationship, she falsely claimed to be pregnant to secure a marriage proposal. Her entire marriage is a ruse, designed to allow her to search his house for proof of his guilt. She has resolved that if she cannot find evidence to bring him to justice, she will kill him herself.

Jodie describes her meticulous daily routine, which includes a lengthy makeup application to ensure she always looks perfect for Roy. One morning, she gets into a dispute with the housekeeper, Marie, over who will bring Roy his coffee. During the struggle, the cup shatters on the floor and hot coffee covers Marie’s front. When Roy appears, he believes Marie’s claim that Jodie threw the coffee at her on purpose. Furious with Jodie, Roy leaves for the day without eating the special breakfast she had prepared.

Later, Marie reveals that a stash of snacks in the kitchen, including Oreos, belonged to Deborah. The housekeeper admits she does not like Jodie, adding, “You won’t be here much longer” (49).

Disturbed by Marie’s ominous warning, Jodie reflects on her investigation. She keeps a secret notebook in which she logs her findings and pastes news articles about Deborah’s death. The reports state that Deborah’s death from a gunshot wound was ruled a suicide; she was found by Marie, and both Roy and Marie had alibis for the time of death. The weapon was a registered firearm belonging to Roy.

Jodie knows the only place she has yet to search is Roy’s office, which he always keeps locked. That afternoon, after Marie leaves the house to run errands, Jodie impulsively tries the office door and is shocked to find it unlocked.

Inside Roy’s office, Jodie sees the firearm that killed her sister displayed in a glass-fronted cabinet lined with dark-purple velvet. On his desk, she finds a notepad with the faint impression of a previous message. By shading it with a pencil, she reveals the words: “Allen & Boyd—3PM, Priv Conf Rm. Fri 6th flr” (57). While searching drawers, she finds a box of Deborah’s mementos, and at the bottom, she discovers her sister’s appointment book from the year she died.

Just then, Jodie hears Marie return. She quickly shoves the appointment book under her shirt and slips out of the office moments before Marie reaches the hallway. Later, in her bedroom, Jodie examines the book and finds a disturbing entry written three days before Deborah’s death. The handwriting is shaky and forceful, reading: “ITS…H…M…DO NG…T” (59).

Jodie interprets the shaky writing in her sister’s appointment book as a desperate message: “IT’S HIM DOING IT” (60). She then searches online for “Allen & Boyd” and discovers it is a divorce law firm. Realizing Roy has an appointment to initiate divorce proceedings, she calls the firm, poses as his assistant, and cancels it.

Shortly after, Meredith calls to invite Jodie to a charity meeting at her home on Friday morning. Jodie accepts, viewing it as a chance to get closer to her sister’s old friends and gather information. Determined to save her marriage and continue her investigation, she prepares an elaborate, romantic dinner for Roy. When she sees Marie, she confidently lies that Roy adores her and she isn’t going anywhere.

During their romantic dinner, Jodie apologizes to Roy for her behavior at his party, blaming it on hormones. She attempts to probe him about his arguments with Deborah, pretending it’s to help her maintain a “harmonious” relationship, but Roy refuses to discuss it. Jodie then asks Roy to fire Marie, claiming she enjoys doing the domestic work herself. Roy refuses, describing Marie as “family.”

Jodie tells Roy about Meredith’s invitation to the charity luncheon, which pleases him. When Roy states she will get on with Meredith “like a house on fire” (68), Jodie cannot suppress a snort of laughter and reminds Roy that her parents died in a house fire. The meal concludes with Marie serving them both their nightly herbal tea.