Etta's tiny dress shop stands on a seemingly ordinary Cambridge street, but the vibrant racks of beaded silks and jewel-toned velvets possess a bewitching power to awaken a woman's deepest desires. Etta's granddaughter, Cora Sparks, has spent her life sheltered in the shop and her university lab, avoiding the mystery of her parents' deaths and overlooking her secret admirer, Walt, a man with a magical voice. Determined to change Cora's fate, Etta weaves a plan that sparks a series of extraordinary events, transforming Cora's life in astonishing ways.