Life is really looking up for Claire Truman. In a New York minute, she lands a plum job at a top publishing house, catapulting her out of editorial assistant status tripling her salary. In the same stroke of good luck, Claire goes from loser magnet to girlfriend of her decade-long crush: the fabulously successful and gorgeous Randall Cox (who's a nice guy, to boot). The perfect guy, the perfect job... it seems like Claire's dreams are falling neatly into place.

Enter reality. It doesn't take long before Claire realizes she's working for the publishing world's most ruthless tyrant: the outrageously abusive Vivian Grant, a woman who churns out New York Times bestsellers with nearly the same frequency as she sends traumatized assistants flying out of her office in tears. Soon Claire is in staff meetings that feel more like war zones, watching Vivian run her employees into the ground and into therapy. As Claire's job steals more and more of her time and soul, her relationship with Randall begins to feel the strain.

With her love life at a crossroads and her work life driving her crazy, Claire can't help wondering if her future will have a happy ending. Her career may be on the fast track, but does she like where it's taking her... and who she might turn into?