"Linden Malegarde has come home to Paris from the United States. It has been years since the whole family was all together. Now the Malegarde family is gathering for the seventieth birthday of Linden's father, Paul. The members of the Malegarde family are on edge, holding their breath, afraid one wrong move will shatter their delicate harmony. Paul, the quiet patriarch, an internationally renowned arborist obsessed with his trees and little else, has always had an uneasy relationship with his son. Lauren, his American wife, is determined that the weekend celebration will be a success. Tilia, Linden's blunt older sister, projects an air of false fulfillment. And Linden himself, the youngest, uncomfortable in his own skin, never quite at home no matter where he lives -- an American in France and a Frenchman in the United States -- still fears that, despite his hard-won success as a celebrated photographer, he will always be a disappointment to his parents. Their hidden fears and secrets slowly unravel as the City of Light undergoes a stunning natural disaster and the Seine bursts its banks and floods the city. All members of the family will have to fight to keep their unity against tragic circumstances."-- Provided by publisher.