Florence Darrow is the novel’s protagonist. She is a blond 26-year-old woman who moves to New York City from Florida to become a novelist. Florence gets a job at Forrester Books as an editorial assistant, hoping that she can work her way up in the company and eventually publish her work.

Florence is a timid and insecure woman, but she believes that she is destined for greatness because her mother, Vera, has told her this since she was a child. Although Florence’s dream is to be a novelist, she experiences writer’s block for most of the novel. She believes this is because she does not have enough life experience, and she finds herself constantly comparing her work to other people’s writing. Rather than focusing on her writing technique, Florence becomes obsessed with her own insecurity and lack of advantages in the publishing world. Florence becomes Helen’s assistant after Forrester fires her for extorting Simon and stalking his family. Florence enjoys living in the countryside with Helen because she can finally relax, free from the pressures of society.

Florence’s internal conflict stems from her desperation to reinvent herself. Florence has such low self-esteem at the beginning of the novel that she copies the way that other people act or dress.