The overwhelming problems people face in the course of their lives can frequently lead them to commit acts they would never consider under normal circumstance. There is the employee who, laid off from his job, stoops to theft in order to feed his family; the witness who perjures himself in order to save a friend; the athlete who, under pressure to perform well, takes drugs. Shelby, an attractive new bride in this story, is one of these desperate people. Her problem - a brand-new husband - leads her into the arms of strangers, compelling her to flit from one bed to another in an orgy of hedonistic excess. Her story is that of a woman struggling desperately for happiness, for some way to save her marriage and self-respect. FREE AND EASY BRIDE - a novel about one of the problems facing modern society and a reflection of our times.