Orphaned and separated as young children, the Freischin sisters are nothing if not survivors. Now, in middle age, Pearl is blindsided by a sexual harassment allegation, while her son Declan, a college student and track star struggling with anxiety, quits school when he becomes entangled with a young con-artist. Meanwhile, Pearl's sister Scarlett is left penniless after her husband is imprisoned for embezzling, and Scarlett's daughter Helena turns to pickleball coaching as a side hustle when her six-year-old child, Burkleigh-who'd achieved meteoric social media fame for her ability to sing like Billie Holiday-is canceled for appropriation.
Close to destitute, the Freischin clan is in danger of homelessness unless they can pull themselves out of financial instability. Leveraging Burkleigh's talent, they arrive at a series of progressively dubious internet scams that lead them to an unexpected alliance.
Griftopia explores the struggles of a modern family in free fall who turn to grifting for survival.