Claire moves impulsively from NYC to Paris, where she nannies for the family from hell, battles wacky French bureaucrats, embarrasses herself in front of her Parisian crush, and navigates a toxic relationship—among other faux pas.

Charles Senac, author of a single novel but crowned by the Prix Goncourt, is hated by the regulars of the bar-restaurant "Le Renard jaune" who regularly insult him. One morning he is found dead in his home. For inspector Giraud, it is clear that the culprit is among the customers of "Le Renard jaune".

In a secluded village in the French Pyrenees, American writer Olivia returns to her family’s ancestral home – where her grandmother fled Paris during the Nazi invasion in World War II – seeking material for a long-stalled novel. There she encounters Madeline, a talented local woman whose ingenuity and spirit echo memories of her grandmother. As Olivia incorporates details from Madeline’s life into her fictional narrative, three storylines intersect: her grandmother’s past, her novel and Olivia’s present-day experiences.