In the 1950s, Oscar Hammerstein is asked to write the lyrics to a musical based on the life of a woman named Maria von Trapp. He's fascinated to learn about this Catholic novice who was living quietly as an Austrian nun until her abbey sent her away to teach a widowed baron's children. When the assignment turned into a marriage proposal and the family was forced to escape the Nazis, it was Maria who taught them to survive by using the power of their voices and song.

It's an inspirational story, to be sure, and as half of the famous Rodgers & Hammerstein duo, Oscar knows Maria's story has big Broadway potential. But much of her life will have to be reinvented for the stage. With the horrors of war still fresh in people's minds, Hammerstein won't let audiences see just how close the von Trapps came to losing their lives.

But when Maria sees the script, she is so incensed that she sets off to confront Hammerstein, who foists her off on Fran, his secretary. The pair strike up an unlikely friendship as Maria tells Fran about her life, contradicting much of what will eventually appear in The Sound of Music and delivering a far grittier tale.

Michelle Moran's hugely entertaining novel explores how Hammerstein grossly misinterpreted Maria's story and offers a more nuanced retelling. Maria is a powerful reminder that the truth is often more complicated--and certainly more compelling--than the stories immortalized by Hollywood.