The last time Dodie sees her mother, Stella, she is wearing a red velvet dress from the 1970s - and is unusually animated. Soon after, Dodie's teenage brother Zak goes missing. The only trace of him is a cryptic postcard addressed from the Soul Life Centre in New York State. When Dodie returns to confront her mother about Zak, she finds her dead, her battle with depression finally over. As Dodie crosses the Atlantic in search of her brother, a parallel narrative tells the life of her mother in the 1970s. Eventually, the two stories collide in an exhilirating conclusion.