In Cold War Leningrad, Sofi and her cousins Natalya and Lena hope for a different life. Their dreams of the West, of fame and wealth and beautiful things, sustain them through poverty, long shivering winters, and the loss of their fathers. When the fall of the Soviet Union brings new opportunities, the three girls decide they'll stop at nothing to make their dreams come true. Each woman grasps at a new life in Europe and, for a while, it seems fortune has smiled on them. But gradually, things unravel as reality fails to live up to their teenage dreams. Sofi's life in a small village in rural France is idyllic, but her husband is remote and cool. Natalya shines on the red carpets and at the fashion shows of London, but her success relies precariously on another's whims. Lena has two beautiful children and a loving husband, but in her mind her sister casts too long a shadow and she becomes obsessed with the past.

Dissatisfactions prompt jealousies, rivalries and betrayals. As their relationships splinter, none of them is aware of a dark figure from their Russian years, and the ill fortune that still lies in wait for them .