When stargazer and amateur astronomer Neville Garth and his wife Lois decide to leave Sussex and retire to Spain for health reasons, the impact on the life of their daughter Nell and her growing family is enormous. As events unfold, can she mend the failing relationship with her mother, support her beloved father through the worst dilemma of his life and later help her own daughter through an agonizing trauma, all at a distance? And when faced with her greatest predicament yet, can Nell follow her conscience and overcome her doubts without sacrificing her own ambitions? And in Ireland, how will Kathleen react to unexpected opportunities which affect not only her own life chances but those of the family to which she has become inextricably linked? How will Bronte, at the age of fourteen recover from a cruel and spiteful episode which threatens her future? Two families - poles apart - yet joined by the merest chance. Across several generations, the complexities of the various relationships are tested with surprising results. Set against the background of Sussex, southwest Ireland and Spain, the story follows members of both families as they face unexpected challenges and the toughest of choices through tragedy, success, exploitation and personal triumphs, none of which could have been foretold in the stars.