Maud Gage Baum arrives at MGM Studios and requests to serve as a consultant on the upcoming Wizard of Oz film.

Louis Mayer refuses Maud's consultant request but welcomes her on set and introduces her to Judy Garland.

A neighbor kills Maud's pet crow, and her mother Matilda campaigns until legislation passes to protect wild animals.

Maud enrolls at Cornell University, where male students routinely mock and ostracize her for attending.

A Halloween séance at Cornell produces six mysterious scratches, revealing that Maud's future husband's name begins with the letter F.

Maud meets Frank Baum at his family's Christmas gathering and the two immediately bond over magic and creativity.

Frank proposes marriage to Maud, and her mother Matilda reluctantly gives her blessing, freeing Maud to leave Cornell.

Maud tells Frank she is pregnant and the two part ways with the Baum Theatre Company to settle down.

Maud steals a copy of the film script but loses it when she finds Judy Garland wearing Frank's old coat.

The film's director slaps Judy Garland during a tense scene, and Maud publicly confronts him to defend the girl.

Maud learns that Arthur Freed made a sexual advance on Judy Garland and gives the girl a hatpin to defend herself.

Matilda Gage dies, and Maud travels home alone to spread her mother's ashes in the family garden.

Frank writes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in an obsessive burst and Maud chooses to trust him and leave the draft unread.

A publisher sends a check worth over $3,000, proving Frank's novel a success beyond anything the family imagined.

Maud attends the Hollywood premiere of The Wizard of Oz and allows herself to be transported into the world of Oz.

Maud Gage Baum arrives at MGM Studios determined to protect her late husband's story as The Wizard of Oz heads to the big screen. Her Hollywood struggle runs parallel to the story of how she first met and married Frank Baum, giving up her Cornell education to follow her heart. Together they weathered theatrical failures, financial ruin, and near-fatal illness before Frank finally found his calling as a novelist. On the MGM lot, Maud's purpose shifts from safeguarding the script to protecting young Judy Garland from the harsh realities of the film industry. A crisis over the song 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' forces Maud to use everything she has to fight for what matters most. In the end, she attends the premiere and finally surrenders to the power of storytelling that her husband always believed in.

The headline story of Maud's life and her quest to protect Frank's legacy.

Maud hears Judy Garland sing a draft of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' for the first time and is deeply moved.

Maud's father encourages her to keep her marble-playing skills sharp after she defeats the neighborhood boys in a game.

Maud's Cornell roommate Josie instructs her on the social rules women are expected to follow around male students.

MGM producers show Maud a secondhand coat they believe belonged to Frank Baum and ask her to authenticate it.

Julia announces her engagement to a man who makes unwanted advances toward Maud when the two are left alone.

Maud secretly swaps her lunch plate with Judy Garland's at the studio commissary so the girl can eat a full meal.

Maud meets Ray Bolger, the actor playing the Scarecrow, and asks him to keep a protective eye on Judy Garland.

Maud's father calculates Frank's theater ticket income and gives his quiet approval of the match and Frank's business sense.

The Gage family attends Frank's stage production and Maud sees backstage how the magical-looking sets are built from simple materials.

Maud and Frank slip away to his childhood home, share a first kiss, and Frank describes the imagined world that will become Oz.

Julia brings her children to visit the Baum home in the Dakota Territory and Maud bonds closely with niece Magdalena.

Matilda travels to South Dakota to be at Maud's side during her third and most dangerous pregnancy and delivery.

The bank repossesses Frank's store after he fails to keep up with the mortgage, leaving the family with nothing.

Maud visits the Emerald City set and the film's lyricist explains how Technicolor replaces the book's famous green-tinted spectacles.

Several crew members call Maud for help after learning that Mayer plans to cut 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' from the film.

Behind every major turning point in Maud's life are quieter moments that reveal how she arrived there. Her father's encouragement, her Cornell roommate's social lessons, and the warmth of the Baum family all helped steer Maud toward Frank and toward a life she never anticipated. On the MGM lot, small acts of care — sneaking Judy a proper meal, enlisting the Scarecrow actor to watch over her, and visiting the Emerald City set — show Maud building genuine connections rather than fighting for control. The financial disasters that shaped the Baums' marriage, from Frank's store being repossessed to the sinking of his cargo ship, provide the full picture of how hard life was before Oz changed everything. These events reveal the texture of Maud's world, including the people who helped and hurt her along the way. Together they remind us that large outcomes grow from many small, significant moments.

The supporting moments and relationships that shaped Maud's world.

Matilda refuses to let Frank court Maud, declaring that earning a diploma must come before any romantic relationship.

Maud steps onto the MGM studio's Yellow Brick Road set and feels the presence of her late husband among the scenery.

Frank appears unexpectedly at a Cornell suffrage meeting and Maud agrees to try convincing her mother to allow him to call.

Matilda changes her mind after an Easter conversation and allows Frank to officially court Maud while her studies continue.

Maud and Frank have their first serious marital argument, revealing deep differences in how each views risk and responsibility.

Frank and Maud leave his collapsed theatrical career behind and relocate to the Dakota Territory seeking a fresh start.

A cargo ship sinks carrying all of Frank's store merchandise, destroying the financial foundation of Baum's Bazaar.

The emerald ring Frank gave Maud as a Christmas gift is exposed as fake tin beneath a paste veneer when she washes dishes.

Maud meets with Mayer's secretary Ida Koverman and learns that Judy Garland's only real protection in Hollywood is becoming a star.

The Dakota women's suffrage vote fails and Frank falls into a deep depression, losing his characteristic hopefulness entirely.

Julia falls dangerously ill and Maud and Frank invent a rainbow story to persuade Magdalena to remain with her mother.

Magdalena gives Maud her doll Dorothy to carry home, and for the first time in years the couple feels genuine hope.

Frank leaves his Chicago newspaper job to work as a traveling salesman, frustrating Maud even as the income improves.

Matilda confesses near death that she regrets prioritizing the suffrage movement over truly knowing her own children.

Judy Garland sings 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' flawlessly on the final day of filming and Maud declares it worthy of Oz.

Every transformation in Maud's life can be traced to a specific moment of decision, revelation, or heartbreak. Her mother's refusal to let Frank court her, his surprise reappearance at a Cornell suffrage meeting, and Matilda's eventual change of heart each mark a pivot in Maud's romantic path. The Dakota years brought a series of hard truths — a sunken cargo ship, a fake emerald ring, a failed suffrage vote — that tested both Maud's trust in Frank and her own resilience. On the MGM lot, quieter revelations about Judy Garland's vulnerability and Ida Koverman's pragmatic wisdom reshape Maud's understanding of what it truly means to protect someone. Near the end of her life, Matilda's deathbed confession about sacrificing family for cause becomes a warning Maud must choose to heed or repeat. These turning points together trace the inner arc of a woman learning, slowly, to let go of control and trust the people and stories she loves.