Nick Walden Darby-Stern is 34 and living in an unregulated building in New York City when he meets Britt Wendt, a furniture designer working at a holiday pop-up. Nick is immediately and wildly infatuated with Britt, believing he is going to marry her. Desperate to see her again, Nick lies and says that he has furniture that needs to be reupholstered; Britt says it will have to wait until after New Year’s, but she gives him a card.

Nick pays $350 in rent for an eight-by-eight room in an overcrowded and unregulated building. Although he has a part-time job, Nick is always broke because he spends his money on expensive clothes, shoes, and accessories. He has five figures of credit card debt, and only $100 to live on until his father sends him more money. Nick is convinced that a relationship with Britt is the answer to his problems. From the beginning, his attraction to her is inseparable from his attraction to financial stability, taste, and luxury he associates with her. If he marries her, he believes he’ll be able to afford the lifestyle he deserves. On Christmas Day, Nick finds a photo of an ottoman on Craigslist, edits it slightly, and emails it to Britt asking if she’d be able to upholster it.