Bethany is celebrating her 18th birthday in Hot Springs. If her aunt and uncle have their way she will return engaged. Her life has always been controlled, from the clothes she wears to the food she eats. She longs to be like other girls and bob her hair, raise her hemline, and learn to do the Charleston, but first she has to break free from the aunt and uncle who have kept her - and her inheritance - very close.
Paul Tollick chased butterflies when he was young. Now he chases gangsters. A detective whose job plunges him into the harsh underworld of gangsters, bootleggers, and fast women, he is captivated by the sight of innocent Bethany, sitting in the park surrounded by butterflies. But two other men have determined to catch her and one is a dangerous gangster who is part of Al Capone's gang. Will Bethany exit her cocoon, find strength and fly free or be trapped?