Irish immigrant Ellie Hogan has finally achieved the American Dream. But her comfortable bohemian life on Fire Island, New York, is shattered when her eldest adopted son, Leo, runs away, lured by the promise of fortune and fame in Hollywood. Determined to keep her family intact, Ellie follows him west, uprooting her youngest son and long-time friend Bridie. In Los Angeles, Ellie creates a fashionable new home among the city's celebrities, artists, and movie moguls. She is also drawn into intense new friendships with talented film composer Stan, a man far different from any she has ever met, and Suri, a beautiful Japanese woman and kindred spirit, who opens Ellie's eyes to the injustices of her adopted country.

While Leo is dazzled by Hollywood's glitz, Ellie quickly sees that the golden glamour masks a world of vanity and greed. Though she tries to navigate the family around heartbreak and the dangers of their new home, she will not be able to protect them from a darker threat: war.