in the 1970's, an aspiring young poet, sara, leaves her artist husband and moves to san francisco, where she finds a job in a wig-dye company. the office vibe is stuck in the sixties and the boss, al, seems to be a rogue with an odd-ball view of life. sara initially dismisses him, but soon is thinking way too much about his quick wit and their shared love of music.before long, sara wonders if she and al are a couple. they begin traveling for business, and even visit sara's family. sara is enchanted by al's childlike, magical optimism. but is this what sara really wants? she doesn't trust al and fears she left an artist for a con-artist. her suspicions are confirmed when the fbi knocks on her door.add a sly and willful mother, a loving sister, a strange texan colonel, a group of wig models, and a few outrageous salesmen, and you have a journey that sara will be lucky to survive.