Act I
The musical begins with depictions of events in the history of the French royal court of Versailles involving Marie Antoinette in the late 18th century ("Because I Can"; "Because We Can"). Jackie Mallery grows up middle-class in a small town, with supportive parents Debbie and John, and has dreams of becoming rich and successful someday ("Caviar Dreams"). Jackie graduates from college with a computer engineering degree and moves to New York where she meets her first husband ("Keep on Thrustin'"). She marries and moves with her first husband to the Everglades in Florida, but the marriage turns abusive. While pregnant, she wins the Mrs. Florida America beauty pageant, scraping together enough money to move out ("Mrs. Florida").
Jackie and her newborn daughter Victoria move into a small apartment ("Each and Every Day"). She meets the much older David Siegel, a real estate developer nicknamed "The Timeshare King", who is the founder and owner of Westgate Resorts ("The Ballad of the Timeshare King"). David marries Jackie and takes her and Victoria in ("Trust Me"). Ambitious, optimistic and warm, but naive, Jackie, together with David, pursues a life of luxury and celebrity; they have several children, cared for by their nanny Sofia and a staff of household employees. Two years after the wedding, they travel to the Palace of Versailles (interspersed with appearances from the 18th-century French court); Jackie decides to build a replica in Florida ("The Golden Hour").
Jackie and David begin to build a $100 million 90,000-square-foot dream mansion in Windermere, Florida. As Jackie lives a glamorous life, Victoria grows unhappy, comparing herself unfavorably to Jackie's pretty socialite friends ("Pretty Wins"). The family takes in Jackie's niece Jonquil Peed, who grew up in poverty but quickly picks up Jackie's taste for fancy trappings ("I Could Get Used to This"). The Great Recession strikes, the housing bubble bursts, and the 2008 financial crisis nearly bankrupts Jackie and David as Westgate Resorts faces immense financial strain. The Siegels are chided by the French court ("Crash"). Construction on Versailles House has halted, and the entire staff is let go, other than Sofia and the Siegels' longtime driver Ray, but Jackie remains optimistic ("This Is Not the Way").
Act II
Despite the family's troubles, Jackie idolizes Marie Antoinette ("The Royal We"). The family sells their belongings at a garage sale ("Show 'Em You're the Queen") and moves back into their older, smaller house. Jackie discovers that neither Victoria nor Jonquil have fed their pet lizard, who is now dead ("Pavane for a Dead Lizard"). Jackie struggles to control her spending addiction ("Watch"). Victoria is increasingly depressed, and notes this in her diary ("The Book of Random"). Following a visit to Jackie's parents' house, Victoria suggests selling both Versailles and the smaller Siegel house and moving into a smaller home, which Jackie rejects ("Little Houses"). In the meantime, David focuses single-mindedly on saving his real estate empire; he has a strained relationship with his son Gary, who he brings into the business. After a documentary about the family and the Versailles House is released in 2012, Jackie appears in a series of product endorsements to raise money.
The family's fortunes eventually recover, and they avert bankruptcy ("Higher than Ever"). Tragedy strikes the family when Victoria, at age 18, dies of an accidental drug overdose in 2015. In the aftermath, Jackie seemingly has reassessed her priorities ("Grow the Light"), but this turns out to be short-lived. The mansion is finally completed, but Jackie and David feel a sense of loss and question the value of their pursuit of wealth, fame and the American Dream. The French court chides the Siegels again ("Crash"). Jackie stands on Versailles' stairs alone after all the workers, David, and Jonquil leave for various reasons ("This Time Next Year").
