In 1899, the author's uncle bought the patent to Jell-O from its inventor for $450. The sale would be one of the most profitable business deals in American history, and the generation that followed enjoyed privilege--but were also haunted by suicides, cancer, alcoholism, and mysterious ailments. More than 100 years later, Allie's mother Mary was diagnosed with incurable cancer, the disease that claimed her own mother's life. Mary began researching her family's past, determined to understand the origins of her illness and impact on her life of Jell-O and the traditional American values the company championed.