[1] The series chronicles the lives of sisters Alexis Neiers and Gabby Neiers along with their now estranged unofficially adopted “sister” Tess Taylor[2] as they make their way into the Hollywood social scene.

The girls and their family initially resided in Westlake Village, California but eventually moved to Hollywood Hills West, Los Angeles.

In mid-2009, after the pilot was filmed, Alexis was arrested for being involved with a group known as the "Bling Ring" that broke into the homes of many celebrities, including Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Rachel Bilson.

On May 10, 2010, Alexis pleaded no contest to felony burglary and was sentenced to six months in Los Angeles County Jail.

In the London Review of Books, Andrew O'Hagan wrote about the series' principals: "If real fame is a mask that eats into the face, then pseudo-fame, the current kind, might be a decoy that eats into the brain.