Reunited when their beloved father falls ill, sisters Meredith and Nina find themselves under the shadow of their disapproving mother, whose painful history is hidden behind her rendition of a Russian fairy tale told to the sisters in childhood.

In 1903 Brooklyn, young Joseph Michtom's life changes for the worse when his immigrant parents invent the teddy bear, while nearby the glitter of Coney Island contrasts with the lives of children living under the Brooklyn Bridge.

In 1964, Hollywood royalty Katie Barstow and her new husband, along with her glittering entourage, arrive for their luxury African safari, but are instead taken hostage by Russian mercenaries, in this blistering story of fame, race, love, and death set in a world on the cusp of great change.