Claire Broussard worked hard to escape her small Louisiana hometown. But when she returns home to care for her grandmother, she unearths a sculpture in the attic that her great-grandfather sent home from Paris after World War II. Something about it speaks to Claire and inspires her to track down the centuries-old mask-making business in Paris where the sculpture, known only as 'L'inconnue' - or the Unknown Woman - was created. With the help of a surly sculptor, Claire learns of the Belle Epoque woman immortalized in the work of art and discovers secrets of her own.