75-year-old Edward Foskett, cynical and damaged by divorce, has become a virtual recluse, his ground-floor flat in Withington his sanctuary. One evening, rather against his inclination, he attends a meeting of the residents' association in the Village Hall.

There he notices his neighbour in an adjoining flat, 'a fortyish woman in a wheelchair' whose carer, being called away on urgent business, appeals for help in getting her home. Astonishing himself, Edward volunteers.

Thereafter he finds himself being drawn into and then willingly engaging in a friendship with her, an attachment with profound consequences on his life, his beliefs and his understanding of the world.