Old Rosa the bag lady shuffles along the streets, stinking, silent and shunned. Time and again her nephew, Michael Marcinkus, has tried to help – but Rosa remains unknowable.

Then Rosa has a terrible accident. As she lies in a coma, Michael visits her squalid flat and unearths something remarkable from the junk: two glittering pieces of Hollywood history. How on earth has Rosa come to own such treasure? And what is to be done with them now?

Bursting with atmosphere, an unforgettable cast of characters, and set against a New York skyline, The Ruby Slippers is a sweeping story of hidden treasures, forgotten histories and lost connections.