In 'L'Affaire', Californian dot-com millionaire Amy Hawkins ventures to Europe on a quest for culture and a cause to which she can contribute her fortune. Her journey takes her to a luxurious hotel in the French Alps, where she becomes embroiled in international intrigues and familial disputes following an avalanche that leaves two guests comatose. As Amy, an American out of her element, offers her assistance, she inadvertently ignites a cultural and legal clash involving aristocrats, a publisher's contentious offspring, and several nationalistic prejudices. Diane Johnson's sharp and comedic narrative weaves a tale of love, death, money, and the nuanced divides between cultures.