The Portrait of a Lady.

The Portrait of a Lady is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who "affronts her destiny" and finds it overwhelming. She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of Machiavellian scheming by two American expatriates. Like many of Jamess novels, it is set mostly in Europe, mostly England and Italy. Generally regarded as the masterpiece of Jamess early period, this novel reflects Jamess continuing interest in the differences between the New World and the Old, often to the detriment of the former.