After an idyllic childhood in Brittany, sixteen-year-old Mimi is hired as a governess by a Boston family and boards the Lusitania for America. Having grown up with the romantic tale of her grandparents—who met on a Paris-bound train and married the next day—Mimi expects no less passion in her own life.

At twenty-one, she marries a popular fraternity boy, but this is far from a fairytale love, and she is soon on her own with two daughters. After several years in Upstate New York, Mimi finds exciting work in Hollywood, where she dubs films into French for export. Most of her attention, however, is devoted to the proper upbringing of rebellious Gwen and obedient Jane, who ache to break away from their mother's loving but domineering grip.

In this absorbing account based on extensive research, Mimi's granddaughter, Bridget Dole, explores the aspirations of Mimi and her daughters against the backdrop of some of the greatest historical events of their time.

This book includes Mimi's first-hand account of rural Brittany at the turn of the 20th century, one daughter's recollection of living in Le Havre after World War I, and the other daughter's memories of serving with the WACS in the Pacific during World War II. It also features photos, a map, notes, and sources.