Patsy is now living a comfortable life - Eddie's little chain of hotels is thriving, but two of her four children have problems in their marriages - can Patsy help them out? Ellen's husband is physically abusing her. She finally leaves him, spends some time in a mental hospital, then slowly recovers at home and eventually meets Peter - a much more gentle and charming man. David is married to the restless, attention-seeking, beautiful Valerie who is having one of her more serious affairs and decides to leave him. Stepson Tim is old enough to leave home himself but is disturbed by his mother's actions. The novel ends with Patsy having managed to keep the family together - and the birth of her first great- grandchild.