A sickly woman falls asleep while ruminating on the disappointing ending of a romance novel following a countess and a lost prince, torn apart by two villains: the power-hungry Duke Sylvester Lizen and his unwilling wife, Ophelia McGuffin. The woman found Ophelia's character the most tragic: because of her obsessive love for the prince, he tricks her into killing Sylvester and then ensures that she dies for her crimes.

When the woman awakens as Ophelia, she realizes she has not yet murdered Sylvester but has begun to harass the countess. She tries to divorce her wicked husband, but Sylvester only appears to enjoy her depravity. Out of options, Ophelia strikes a deal with her husband: if she successfully seduces the prince, Sylvester will grant her the divorce—but in time, Ophelia may realize that her marriage to the other villain is not all that bad.