As Clara deciphers the clues—the letters hint at her mother’s role in a 1970s artist collective, a secret romance, and a lost masterpiece called “The Sweet Apple of Time” —the clock in the fitting room (which mysteriously ticked only she could hear) begins to wind down. By December 23rd, she uncovers the truth: the collective’s leader, a clockmaker named Elias, was her mother’s secret lover. The scarf, the key, and the boutique are all pieces of a decades-old puzzle meant for Clara.