Pam, Daniel, and Joe might be the worst rock band on the Lower East Side. Struggling to scrape together enough cash and musical talent to make it, they are waylaid by two surprising arrivals—a daughter for Pam and Daniel, and a solo hit single for Joe. As the nineties wane, the three friends share in one another’s successes, working together to elevate Joe’s superstardom and raise baby Flora.

On September 11, 2001, the city’s unfathomable devastation coincides with a shattering personal loss for the trio. In the aftermath, Flora comes of age, navigating a charged political landscape and discovering a love of the natural world. Joining the ranks of those fighting for ecological conservation, Flora works to bridge the wide gap between powerful strategists and ordinary Americans, becoming entangled ever more intimately with her fellow activists along the way. And when the country faces an astonishing new threat, Flora’s family will have no choice but to look to the past—both to examine wounds that have never healed and to rediscover strengths they have long forgotten.