How could the vivacious young socialite Emily Haag Buck resist the pursuits of the Circus King, John Ringling? His larger-than-life persona and all the trappings of his vast wealth – a mansion on Sarasota Bay, his art museum, a fleet of luxurious vehicles and a private railcar—dazzle her.
The thirty-year age difference? And the fifty-thousand-dollar loan he coaxes from her? She tamps down any hesitation. After a whirlwind romance, Emily becomes the second Mrs. Ringling in December 1930.
But trouble soon follows as they begin their marriage in , Ca d'Zan, John's sumptuous estate in Florida.
John's deceased wife Mable's presence is everywhere, and Emily struggles under Mable's shadow, from the pillowcases she sleeps on to the garden she's expected to tend.
As John's empire teeters, he insists on acquiring more art for his museum while stubbornly relegating Emily to financial ignorance. Arguments erupt. Bills go unpaid. When John's health deteriorates, his nurse Ida disrupts their already shaky marriage.
As troubles mount, Emily grapples with John's dishonesty and betrayal, all the while seeking to evade the public scrutiny she endures as the second Mrs. Ringling.
Based on historical documents and with a healthy dash of "what if", this novel follows John and Emily from Park Avenue to the terrace of Ca d'Zan, and peeks behind the closed doors of this celebrated couple of the 1930's.