The story of the Roses, starting with their fateful meeting as students, falling in love, and creating the perfect nuclear family. Oliver, a Harvard graduate and successful corporate lawyer, has his sights set on a major promotion while Barbara, a steely self-starter, runs her own catering company, wowing the upper echelons of Washington DC society. Along with their two privileged children, grand mansion and joint hobby of visiting auction houses, the Roses seem to be the paragon of a family living the American Dream. But things then take an unexpected and shocking course.