A scholarship to attend Stockholm University in 1978 as an exchange student draws Nancy from Gambia's warmth into Stockholm's winter.

Settling in and navigating her new life becomes expedited when she meets the uber-worldly and charismatic Lars. Their budding friendship blossoms against a taboo backdrop Nancy must contend with as his muse. First, he's her much older anthropology professor. Secondly, he may not be who he claims to be.

Ambitious Tina has tasted fame across Europe and the US as a pop icon in the early 2000s. But what lies beneath her glittery bubblegum-sweet façade? And how does she get people to stop staring long enough to truly see her, hear her, and listen to her unspoken story?

Growing up with her mother Nancy's detachment, will learning more about her mother's past help Tina understand why her looks are the very same thing fueling her mother's indifference?

A novel spanning continents and decades, exploring mother-daughter relationships, resilience, and what it means fully wear your skin and carve your own space in this world.