Morgan and Riley Brighton are joint heirs to Kaleidoscope: a glittering, "global bohemian" shopping empire --- created in sleepy Oregon and catapulted into haute New York --- sourcing luxury goods from around the world. Morgan, a statuesque beauty and Kaleidoscope’s talented designer, is adored by all, especially by the Brighton parents. Yet no one loves her more than Riley, whose shy and adventurous spirit is exalted by her sister. When a catastrophic event dismantles the Brightons’ world, Riley must stand in the spotlight for the first time in her life, with questions about her family that challenge her memory, identity and loyalty. Restless and heartbroken, she sets off across the globe with the person she least expects, to seek truths about those she thought she knew best --- herself included.

At the turn of the 19th century, Frank Leong, a fabulously wealthy shipping industrialist, moves his family from China to the island of Oahu. But when Frank is murdered, his family is thrown into a perilous downward spiral. Left to rebuild in their patriarch’s shadow, the surviving members try their hand at a new, ordinary life, vowing to bury their gilded past. Now the Leongs’ survival rests with young Theresa, Frank’s only grandchild, the heir apparent to her ancestors’ punishing knots.