Lady Pamela Bentham is old, difficult and disliked by most of her family, who plot unceasingly to evict her from the lovely Somerset house which has been her home all her married life. Once privileged as the wife of a diplomat, she now lives alone, looked after by one reluctant carer. It is this woman's sudden departure which brings Maeve Delaney into her life. Free-spirited and cynical, outspoken and disrespectful, Maeve agrees to be Lady Pamela's companion only because she is homeless and broke. It is a decision which will turn everyone's life upside down.