Acclaimed writer Truman Capote surrounded himself with a coterie of society's most elite women β rich, glamorous socialites who defined a bygone era of high society New York β whom he nicknamed βthe swans.' Beautiful and distinguished, the group included grande dame Barbara "Babe" Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest and Lee Radziwill. Enchanted and captivated by these doyennes, Capote ingratiated himself into their lives, befriending them and becoming their confidante, only to ultimately betray them by writing a thinly veiled fictionalization of their lives, exposing their most intimate secrets. When an excerpt from the book, Answered Prayers, Capote's planned magnum opus, was published in Esquire , it effectively destroyed his relationship with his swans, banished him from the high society he so loved and sent him into a spiral of self-destruction from which he would ultimately never recover.

Truman Capote is the toast of New York society. But a dishy excerpt published in Esquire Magazine threatens to topple him from his precarious perch.

In the aftermath of the Esquire article, Truman starts on a downward spiral. The Swans form a unified front.

In 1966, documentary filmmakers the Maysles brothers capture the events leading up to and following Truman's iconic Black and White Ball.

Babe makes peace with a harsh reality. Truman makes an effort to get sober.

November 1975, the day after the Esquire article is published, Truman receives an inspiring visit from a fellow writer.

In New York, it's the end of an era. In California, Truman tries to usher in a new era with a hunky beau.

Babe reflects on her life and her greatest treasures. Truman and the Swans reel in the fallout of a tragedy.

Past, present and future collide as Truman makes a final push to finish Answered Prayers.