From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop to countless movies. In this dazzling work, Andersen takes viewers on a whirlwind tour through the metropolis' real and cinematic history, investigating the myriad stories and legends that have come to define it, and meticulously, judiciously revealing the real city that lives beneath.

An elderly married couple find that as their physical and mental health deteriorates, they find themselves dependent more and more upon their grown children.

In 1884, an eleven-year-old Quaker boy sets out on his own to seek revenge against a gang of outlaws who senselessly murdered his family.

Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.

A young soldier attempts to lose his virginity before he leaves for Vietnam.

Black girl from rich family loves white boy from poor family.

An ex-soldier is recruited by the FBI to go undercover in L.A. and find other ex-soldiers who are part of a drug-dealing gang.

A young teenage girl is jealous of her father's new wife, and when one day she discovers the two of them having sex, she freaks out and starts hanging out with the "wrong crowd" at school. Next thing you know, she's smoking pot and having sex with long-haired hippies. From there it's all downhill.