Crawford was one of the most incandescent film stars of all time, yet she was also one of the most misunderstood. Spoto goes beyond the popular caricature to give us a three-dimensional portrait of a very human woman, her dazzling career, and her extraordinarily dramatic life and times.

A prairie Bernhardt (1906-1924) -- The flapper, flapping (1925) -- Enter the prince (1926-1929) -- Enter the king (1929-1930) -- Virtuous vices (1931-1932) -- Mrs. Tone (1932-1937) -- Joan, Julie, Susan-and God (1937-1940) -- A trilogy of transformations (1941-1942) -- Oscar (1943-1947) -- Children! Children! (1947-1951) -- Carrying a torch song (1952-1955) -- Some of the best of everything (1955-1962) -- "Miss Crawford is a star!" (1962-1970) -- Fade-out (1971-1977).