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 James' novels,
it is set mostly in Europe, notably England and Italy. Generally regarded as the
masterpiece of his early phase of writing, this novel reflects James's
continuing interest in the differences between the New World and the Old, often
to the detriment of the former. It also treats in a profound way the themes of
personal freedom, responsibility, betrayal, and sexuality.

— Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.