As someone raised in an orphanage, Carmel knows she should be grateful for a roof over her head and a respectable family, but she would love nothing more than to escape Birr, Co Offaly and get away from her husband, the monosyllabic Bill and his horrible sister forever.

Life as Mrs Sheehan should be bearable, all she had to do was look after the house and cook Bill’s meals. She didn’t even need to speak to him, in fact, he preferred that she didn’t.

But, as her fortieth birthday approaches, Carmel knows the change must be now or never. Her birth mother has offered her a lifeline from beyond the grave in the form of handsome, charming and kind Dr Sharif Khan.

He’s offering her a new life in London, one he assures her that her birth mother Dolly would want her to take, but the decision must be hers. A life filled with joy, friendship and the legacy of her mother’s enduring love for her awaits.

But can Carmel do it and scandalise the parish? Can she finally realise her own worth and live her life on her own terms?