Spanning decades and continents, 'Great Circle' tells the intertwined stories of Marian Graves, a passionate and indomitable female aviator who vanishes while attempting to circumnavigate the globe pole-to-pole in the mid-20th century, and Hadley Baxter, a troubled contemporary Hollywood actress. After being cast as Marian in a biopic, Hadley's connection to the pilot deepens as she uncovers enigmatic aspects of Marian's life. Shipstead's sweeping narrative artfully navigates themes of freedom, ambition, and the wild call of one's destiny, charting a course that links the ambitions of two defiant women across time.