Nine people from different walks of life attend a pricey 10-day "Mind and Body Total Transformation Retreat" at a place called the Tranquillum House run by a mysterious Russian woman named Masha.

[3] In contrast, Lisa Scottoline of the New York Times said that all the characters are "fully realized, with compelling lives, relationships and motivations" and that the novel is "thought-provoking, but never pedantic" as it "raises fascinating questions about our relentless quest for self-improvement.

The series was co-written by David E. Kelley, John-Henry Butterworth, and Samantha Strauss and starred Nicole Kidman as Masha and Melissa McCarthy as Frances.

[6] The cast also includes Luke Evans as Lars, Melvin Gregg as Ben,[7][8] Samara Weaving as Jessica,[9] Asher Keddie as Heather,[10] Grace Van Patten as Zoe,[11] Tiffany Boone as Delilah,[12] Michael Shannon as Napoleon,[13] Regina Hall as Carmel, Hal Cumpston as Zachary[14] and Bobby Cannavale as Tony.

[17][18] In the book, Moriarty used and discussed the famous line "Reader, I married him" from the beginning of Chapter 38 of Jane Eyre.