Like her previous novel, The Pursuit of Love, this story is told from the point of view of Fanny Radlett, the niece of an aristocratic British family. From her position just inside the highest circle of society, she observes the intrigues of the rich and royal. Love in a Cold Climate focuses on the love life of young heiress Polly Hampton, a friend and neighbor of the Radletts. Having recently returned from India with her parents, Lord and Lady Montdore, Polly is universally recognized as the most beautiful debutante of the season. To social-climbing Lady Montdore's frustration, Polly shows no interest whatever in the many eligible men who pursue her. Then, just days after her aunt Patricia's death, Polly shocks her family and the rest of genteel society by declaring that she is going to marry her recently widowed (and much older) uncle. Lord and Lady Montdore announce that Polly will be cut from their will if she does so, but Polly goes through with the wedding despite their wishes and sets off on her honeymoon looking blissfully happy. Forced now to leave their considerable estate to a distant relative, Lord and Lady Montdore send for the young heir, and Cedric Hampton quickly arrives - though he turns out to be not at all what anyone had expected.
