The Travis family experiences a stunning tragedy which begins to unravel them. Teenaged son Tim views his life as a bad dream. His father, Ben tunes out and treats his wife and children like strangers. His mother, Sandy sharpens her tongue with sarcasm and dulls her senses with pot while struggling hard to conceal a secret that threatens to ruin them all. The Travises, eventually, learn to accept one another as family - warts and all.

Set in 1940s Los Angeles. Two police officers, Bucky Bleichert and his partner, Lee Blanchard, investigate the death of Elizabeth Short - also known as The Black Dahlia, a young woman who is found brutally murdered. With a corpse so mutilated, the photos are kept from the public. Bucky soon realizes that his girlfriend had ties to the deceased, and soon after that, he begins uncovering corruption and conspiracy within the police department. The case...