From Here to the Great Unknown summary

Lisa Marie was heartbroken by the death of her father. She didn’t want to go home to her mother, with whom she had a far more fraught relationship. Her mother was cold – only interested in structure and discipline. Whenever she was with her, Lisa Marie felt like a trophy child, expected to fit a mold that didn’t suit her. 

She was carrying a lot of anger about her father’s death, and she acted out, getting into drugs and alcohol at an early age. Priscilla had been introduced to Scientology by the actor John Travolta, and, at a loss as to how to handle her daughter, she dropped off Lisa Marie at the Scientology center in Los Angeles, hoping they’d be able to help. And it did help. The center served as a place where she could process her questions and grief, offering a semblance of stability amid the chaos.

Lisa Marie first met Danny Keough when she was just seventeen. She was trying to shed her wild past but found herself drawn to Danny, the bassist in a local band. He had an aura that captured everyone’s attention. But even he was intimidated by Lisa Marie.

They dated for a short time, the relationship ending when she learned he was interested in another girl. Years passed, but she never stopped thinking about Danny. She was certain he was the one she was destined to have children with. Their cat-and-mouse dynamic eventually led to a reunion – a reunion that was carefully planned by Lisa Marie to align with her ovulation cycle.

The ten years between Lisa Marie’s divorce from Michael Jackson and her marriage to Michael Lockwood were a mix of personal recovery and magical moments for the children.

During this time, Lisa Marie moved her family to Belleair, Florida, seeking solace after a mental health crisis that followed her high-profile divorce. She’d been battling severe panic attacks, but eventually found healing in the quiet, swampy charms of Florida.

Lisa Marie admits that before 2008, she was driven by a hunger for understanding – life, people, her purpose – but that everything changed after the birth of her twins, when she was prescribed Norco. The first time she took the drug, the high she felt triggered a spiral she couldn’t control. Slowly, she dismantled her support systems, isolating herself from the friends and relationships that had kept her grounded.

Part of the isolation process involved moving to England. She wanted to create a simpler, more idyllic life for the family. For a while, it worked. She gardened with her daughters, cooked dinners, and reveled in the charm of the countryside. 

Riley Keough remembers the horrifying moment she learned about her brother's death: the early morning phone call telling her that Ben had shot himself, the gut-wrenching words she couldn’t process, and the immediate realization of how this loss would irreparably change their lives.

When Riley broke the news to Lisa Marie, her mother’s initial disbelief gave way to an all-consuming grief. Her first instinct was to rush to her son, as though she could somehow undo what had happened. When they finally saw him – his body unzipped from the bag – Lisa Marie cradled his head and finally allowed herself to cry.