After winning a prestigious fashion-design contest in 1948, Aster Kelly flees the world of modeling in New York and arrives in Beverly Hills to claim her prize: a design apprenticeship with Fernando Tivoli. But Fernando has no such job available. He's busily preparing for the opportunity of a lifetime-proving to Galaxy Studios that he is the perfect couturier for their A-list stars. The moment he meets Aster, though, he knows she's the missing ingredient he needs and asks her to be his stand-in model for Lauren Bacall, promising to mentor her if he wins the contract. Aster and Fernando quickly become entangled with Hollywood insiders-Aster with the head of Galaxy Studios, Fernando with up-and-coming star Christopher Page-and their friendship becomes essential as they navigate a glamorous and complicated existence where what's real must often be hidden and no one is quite what they seem. As Aster's ambitions grow and she faces a crisis and Fernando's future is threatened by the judgmental Hollywood machine, Aster makes a decision that changes the trajectory of their lives forever. Twenty-five years later, despite knowing little of her mother's time in Hollywood, Aster's daughter, Lissy, is poised to become a Broadway star. But when the musical gets off to a rocky start, Lissy makes a rash decision of her own in an attempt to save the show. And when long-buried secrets blindside them both, mother and daughter are forced to question everything they thought they knew.