By the school house at Shancarrig stands a copper beech, its bark scarred with the names and dreams of the pupils who have grown up under its branches.

This tree is the gateway to Maeve Binchy's marvellous portrait of a small Irish town whose untroubled surface conceals the passions, rivalries, friendships, ambitions and jealousies beneath.

With warmth and humour Maeve Binchy uncovers the secrets hidden in each of her characters' lives and shows that there are extraordinary stories to be found everywhere - in only you know where to look and how to listen.