When the house lights go on, the magic and mystery of a play are somewhat diminished, not unlike what can occur in the real world when a veil is lifted. In fact, in this eye-opening novel, the long-cultivated, perfect image of the Fisher-Hart family of Boston is essentially torn away. It is Beatrice, their 20-year-old daughter, who is most affected. So much of her life has been wrapped up in the respect that colleagues and the community have held for her psychological therapist parents and in their refined life style.Bea is suddenly totally adrift. Not only is she disappointing her parents by foregoing college to give acting a try, but at the same time that she has reached out to her well-known actress grandmother Margaret Fourcey, it becomes known that a credible claim of sexual harassment has been made against her father by a graduate student under his supervision, with predictable consequences. The magnanimity of Maggie essentially saves Bea, even though her mother has shunned any contact through the years. Bea sits in on wide-ranging discussions involving Maggie's theater friends, fueling her interest in acting, and furthermore learns of more disturbing secrets about her family, including her father.While Bea does manage to achieve a modicum of success in the world of acting over the next twenty years, this entire story is most concerned with the lasting impact on a family of troubling developments. There are so many questions. Does one inevitably over compensate in some way? What are the possibilities of reconciliation? In the author's telling, primarily through Bea but also Maggie, it is a lifetime's work to regain the stability that at one time was simply assumed. It's not really much of an option to simple forego the effort - a large hole in one's heart is generally the result.In any event, this novel is a sensitive, insightful look at what can happen to a family, especially to a sheltered daughter, when their idyllic world comes crashing down.