A patriarch's impending honor forces his family to confront the carefully constructed lies that underpin their lives. Harry Tabor, on the cusp of being named Man of the Decade, gathers his wife, Roma, and their three adult children in Palm Springs for the celebration. However, as the weekend unfolds, hidden anxieties and unspoken secrets begin to surface among the children—Simon's sleepless nights, Camille's existential indecision, and Phoebe's evasiveness about her new boyfriend. Roma senses the deceptions, but the deepest secret belongs to Harry himself, a long-buried truth that drove him to relocate his family to the desert decades ago, threatening to unravel their carefully maintained facade as the ceremony approaches.

The novel is characterized by its intricate character studies and exploration of familial dynamics. The premise sets up a compelling narrative where a celebratory event becomes the catalyst for confronting long-held secrets and personal falsehoods. The alternating perspectives allow for a deep dive into the internal lives of each family member, highlighting the subjective nature of truth and memory. The prose is noted for its descriptive quality, painting a vivid picture of both the setting and the emotional landscape of the characters as they grapple with the consequences of their past.