Handsome, well-groomed, impeccably dressed, charming, and debonair, Francon wines and dines prospective clients at New York's most exclusive restaurants. He offers the public impressive Greek columns and showy white marble fronts; his work is all glitter and no substance. He is a phony and a second-hander. His success is based on two factors: He copies from the Classical designers, and he impresses customers with suave urbanity. He imitates and receives undeserved acclaim; this is his career. But despite these serious flaws, Francon possesses good qualities that enable him to attain a level of happiness in the end.