A novel set in New York during the years of Barack Obama's presidency and the rise of Donald Trump. A mysterious, wealthy immigrant family, the Goldens, arrive and settle in a grand house in Greenwich Village, hiding their past behind new names. Their young neighbour, an aspiring film-maker named René, observes them and begins to turn their story into a film. The book is a portrait of modern America, touching on identity, money, power, ambition and the shifting of public life, with echoes of classical tragedy and of The Great Gatsby.