Only a few years before becoming a famous silent-film star, a fifteen-year-old Louise Brooks leaves Wichita, Kansas, to study in New York. Much to her annoyance, she is accompanied by a thirty-six-year-old chaperone, who is neither mother nor friend. Cora Carlisle, a complicated but traditional woman, has no idea what she’s in for. Young Louise, already stunningly beautiful, is known for her arrogance and her lack of respect for convention. Ultimately, the five weeks they spend together will transform their lives forever.  For Cora, the city holds the promise of discovery that might answer the question at the core of her being.