Eric has a miserable childhood in a violent, drunken family in a tough London housing estate. He compensates by looking for perfection. For him, this means worldly success in a diplomatic career as far away from his childhood as possible. His single-minded ambition comes at a price. It makes him leave his childhood sweetheart Katie behind, since he knows that she can't keep up with him. Their ways part. Eric marries an upper-class woman and becomes an Ambassador. However, Katie and he never quite lose touch. After his wife's death Eric and Katie come together again. There is action and pace, fun and sadness, a huge variety of life experiences and a sense of providence and redemption.