“Bring me the Northern Lights.” Cornelia Brown is shaken by a violent incident when she learns her mother has been seriously injured in an accident. Returning to her childhood home in Virginia, she witnesses her mother Ellie’s struggle to recover, oscillating between her usual clarity and delirious episodes haunted by a past loss. In her grief, Ellie implores Cornelia to bring her the Northern Lights. Confused yet determined, Cornelia promises to fulfill her mother’s wish: “She was my mother and she wanted the Northern Lights; I was her daughter and would have given her anything, anything.” With the help of her sister Ollie, Cornelia embarks on a mission to uncover the lost years of Ellie’s life, exploring the people and events that shaped her mother from her late teens to her mid-twenties. Their journey leads them to unexpected places and the lives of strangers impacted by Ellie. As they unveil truths—some beautiful, some painful—Cornelia begins to heal and forgive herself, finding her way back home. Alternating between Cornelia’s present and Eleanor Campbell’s story in the 1960s, the narrative delves into the complex bonds between sisters, the challenges of motherhood, and the redemptive power of love.
