In the wake of a dark and brutal war, the glitz and glamour of 1925 Manhattan shine like a beacon for the high-society set who are desperate to keep their gaze firmly fixed toward the future. But Delphine Duplessi sees more than most. At a time in her career when she could easily be unknown and penniless - like so many of her classmates from L'Ecole des Beaux Arts - she has gained notoriety in America for her stunning shadow portraits.

But then, on a snowy night in February in a penthouse high above Fifth Avenue, Delphine's mystical talent leads to a tragedy between two brothers. Devastated and disconsolate, Delphine renounces her gift and returns to her old life in the south of France, where Picasso, Matisse, and the Fitzgeralds are summering. There, Delphine comes to question everything and everyone she loves - her art, her magick, her family, and Mathieu....