Flamboyant millionaire Flora "Sissy" Goforth resides in a lavish villa on a secluded Mediterranean island, where she dictates her memoirs and lives in ostentatious luxury. Amid her reclusive lifestyle, she is attended by a team of servants who cater to her eccentric whims and hypochondriac tendencies. One summer afternoon, she is disturbed by the arrival of a mysterious stranger, an enigmatic poet named Chris Flanders, who manages to make his way onto her property. Known as "The Angel of Death" due to his rumored presence at the deaths of wealthy women, Chris intrigues and unsettles Flora. Despite her initial resistance, she allows him to stay, intrigued by his intentions and his cryptic personality.

As the days unfold, a tense psychological battle ensues between Flora and Chris, with Sissy questioning his motives and delving deep into their past lives and future aspirations. The residents of the island, including the inscrutable Witch of Capri visiting Sissy, add to the tense atmosphere with their own insights and mysterious interactions. Through poetic dialogue and dramatic confrontations, the narrative explores themes of mortality, love, and identity, leading to unexpected revelations as secrets from Flora's past begin to surface. The story examines the interplay of power between the aging tycoon and the enigmatic wanderer against a backdrop of luxury and impending doom.