Heroine Fenella Lundgren, a flat- broke recent college graduate, accepts a job as an assistant to the fabulously wealthy Rostunger family who live in a converted sugar factory, which also houses a massive private aquarium. As her employers impose their increasingly complex demands, Fenella navigates deepening moral quandaries. When Fenella discovers a forgotten orphan and a cephalopod with super-natural abilities, she finds herself at a crossroads. Will Fenella and the octopus save their loved ones? Or will the mighty Sugar House bring about their downfall?
Fortunes rise and fall. A local religion is founded and becomes the faith of Fenella's family. Earthquakes, fire, and signs of a struggle with nature abound; symbolic reminders of the plundered world. Sociological consequences manifest. Increasingly violent crimes begin to occur in Perdita and its environs. Family trees grow branches and destinies are intertwined.
Sugar House is an alternative history told in part with ephemera: diaries, invitations, film footage, photographs and newsletters. Sugar House is a deeply tender and timely story of the downfall of San Francisco, and a darkly comic look at the eccentricities, cults and culture of Northern California.
