Vivien Kovacs, sensitive and bookish, grows up sealed off from the world by her timid Hungarian refugee parents. She loves herself in books and reinvents herself according to her favorite characters, but it is through clothes that she ultimately finds herself. Against her father's wishes, she forges a relationship with her estranged uncle, a notorious criminal, who, in his old age, wants to share his life story. As he reveals the truth about her family's past Vivien, having endured unbearable loss, learns how to be comfortable in her own skin and how to be alive in the world. Grant has created an enchanting portrait of a woman and a powerful story of family, love, and the hold the past has on the present.