Dulcie Ballantyne knows that creative writers' groups attract an unlikely bunch of people, so when she starts up Hidden Talents, she is well prepared for the assortment of people she is bringing together. But what they all have in common is a need to escape, as well as a desire to keep their lives as private as possible—even Dulcie, who at the age of sixty-three has been having an affair with a married man for three years. As they grow more confident in their writing skills, friendships develop and gradually they come to realise that a little openness isn't necessarily a bad thing.