The story revolves around the eccentric Berry family, spearheaded by patriarch Win, whose idealistic pursuit of romance leads him to purchase a dilapidated, ramshackle hotel in New Hampshire, setting off a generational saga of ambition, trauma, and resilience. Win’s grand vision quickly collapses, forcing the family to relocate to Vienna, Austria, where they encounter a world far removed from their New England origins. In Vienna, the Berry children—Franny, John, Frank, Egg, and Lilly—grow up amidst an eccentric subculture of political radicals, prostitutes, and circus performers. This environment sharply shapes their evolving views on sexuality, identity, and survival.Central to the family’s emotional core is the intense, protective bond between
aspiring writer John and his charismatic, fiercely independent sister, Franny. Their lives are permanently altered by a series of devastating tragedies, including a
violent assault that shatters Franny’s sense of safety and a devastating plane crash that claims the lives of several family members. These compounded griefs scatter the surviving Berrys back to the United States, leaving them fractured and searching for healing. John and Franny, driven by a desperate need to reclaim their agency and restore their family’s lost dignity, eventually reunite and forge an unconventional romantic relationship, symbolizing their rejection of societal norms and their desperate, insular need for comfort amidst the ruins of their past.Years later, the surviving members converge once again to fulfill a long-held promise: to open a new, idealized hotel in Maine. This endeavor serves as a metaphor for rebirth and emotional reclamation. Frank, now openly living as a gay man, and Lilly, an author grappling with her own demons, find fleeting moments of peace before further tragedy strikes, culminating in Lilly’s suicide. Despite the overwhelming sorrow that continually haunts them, John refuses to surrender to despair. Embracing the family motto that sorrow must be endured and transformed into art, John dedicates himself to caring for the broken souls who drift into their lives. The narrative ultimately champions endurance, humor in the face of absurdity, and the radical power of love to mend the most fractured spirits. Through all the chaos, heartbreak, and unconventional couplings, the Berrys learn that while happiness is never guaranteed, the human capacity to endure, forgive, and rebuild remains infinite, cementing their bizarre yet unbreakable familial legacy.