[3] Set in rural Ireland in the late 1950s the novel recounts the life of Annie, who having been made homeless after the death of her sister is forced to move to a farm in County Wicklow.

The protagonist Annie, who was the central character in Barry`s play The Steward of Christendom[4][5] is seen at first living with her sickly sister and caring for her brother-in-law.

When the pair are in their sixties, Annie's nephew asks her to care for his two children, a girl and a boy, as he leaves for England in 1960 to search for work.

[7] The book describes the events of the summer as Annie delights in playing the role of a mother, but also feels threatened by the prospect of her cousin marrying a local farmhand, thus leaving her homeless once again.

[8] Tony Mastrogiorgio for the San Francisco Chronicle wrote the book was a "superb new novel" although says there "was there is a brief flickering of regret at first impressions" he says "that brief doubt is replaced by what can only be described as wonder."