Summary

The novel begins with a newspaper article noting that famed Hollywood actress Evelyn Hugo, now 79 years old, is auctioning off some of her dresses to raise money for breast cancer research. It is mentioned that her daughter Connor recently succumbed to this illness, and that Evelyn is widowed from her seventh husband, Robert Jamison.

Monique Grant, a 35-year-old writer for a glossy women's magazine called Vivant, is invited into her editor's office. The editor, Frankie, informs Monique that Evelyn Hugo's publicist has requested Monique to conduct an interview. Hugo is notoriously reticent with the press, and Grant is new to the magazine, so she is confused about this turn of events. She wonders if Evelyn Hugo knew her father, who used to work as a photographer on Hollywood sets. Frankie suggests perhaps Evelyn read Monique's compelling story on physician-assisted...