A literary melodrama. Marin County, California, covered in fog. An era remembered for its complacency, sometimes nostalgically. The tragedy of a wealthy dyfunctional family: mother, a company owner who loves painting; her drunken doctor husband; her daughter, wild, promiscuous & poetic, the focus of a kidnapping, rescue, multiple murders & persecution by relentless killers. Narrated by a photographer who with his girlfriend provide a humorous counterpoint until the shattering conclusion.