Glamorous as they may sometimes seem, heiresses have traditionally been at the mercy of their husbands and societal norms. Looking more closely, this book includes portraits of Consuelo Vanderbilt, the original American "Dollar Heiress," forced into a loveless marriage; Barbara Hutton, who married seven times and died almost penniless; and newspaper heiress Patty Hearst, who was arrested for terrorism. However, there are also stories of independence and achievement: Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the greatest philanthropists of Victorian England, and Nancy Cunard, a pioneer of the civil rights movement.