Barbara Daly, the dashing heir to the Bakelite plastics fortune, married above her class to Brooks Baekeland. Beautiful, red-headed and charismatic, Barbara is still no match for her well-bred husband. The birth of the couple�€™s only child, Tony, rocks the uneasy balance in this marriage of extremes. Tony is a failure in his father�€™s eyes. As he matures and becomes increasingly close to his lonely mother, the seeds for a tragedy of spectacular decadence are sown. From 1946 to 1972, the Baekelands�€™ pursuit of social distinction and the glittering �€œgood life�€� propels them across the globe.