While his mother's novels usually take place in England and Scotland, Robin Pilcher has set his story primarily in the United States, along the beautiful, quaint shoreline of Long Island. Like his mother's work, his story is gracefully written and filled with involving, memorable characters. Unlike a Rosamunde Pilcher novel, Robin's protaganist is a man - a widower who is trying to cope with his world turned upside down.

David Corstorphine once had the perfect life - a loving wife, Rachel, three wonderful children, a warm and inviting home in Scotland, and an important job at Glendurnich Distilleries, his family's successful whisky company. But then tragedy struck, and Rachel died of cancer. Now, David finds himself lost, depressed, and unable to work. He seeks solace at Inchelvie, his parents' home in the Scottish highlands, where he has returned to stay. With his three children having chosen to return to boarding school in hopes that their normal routine and the company of their friends will help them cope with their loss, David spends much of his time alone, working in a neglected garden.

When a Glendurnich business crisis develops in the United States, David reluctantly heads to New York to handle the problem. However, he soon learns that he is still not emotionally equipped to return to his old life. Staying with an old friend on Long Island, David takes a job as a gardener/handyman for a family living close by. Jennifer and Alex are a loveless married couple with a young son named Benji, who is, more often than not, left alone in their beautiful home with their housekeeper Jasmine.

As David tends the soil and plants the seeds for a new garden, his relationships with Jasmine, Benji and Jennifer blossom as well. He becomes a father figure to Benji, whose own father is so often absent, a friend to Jennifer, who needs a steady shoulder to cry on when she learns of her husband's extra-marital affair, and an ally to Jasmine, who struggles to help this shattered family survive.

It is in caring for Benji and Jennifer that David begins to resolve his own heartache and grief. Through loving this family, David becomes closer to his own and is able to return home to face his own family's mounting problems, and eventually, bring these two sides of his life - once an ocean apart - together.

About the Author: Robin Pilcher is Rosamunde Pilcher's eldest son. He lives with his wife and children in Dundee, Scotland.