Following the unexpected death of William Whiting, his children; Rachel, Bill, and Ralph, find themselves as sole inheritors of their father's vast fortune. William's widow, Joan, seeks help from professional investment manager, Shawn Howard, to guide the couple's three children in the management of properties and investments spanning the world, from South America into the desert of North Africa. Agreeing to take this challenge proves to be a difficult assignment, as Shawn finds himself pulled deeper and deeper into the fortune, the family, and the arms of the grieving widow.