Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather have decided to create the best catering company in Dublin. They've found the perfect premises, they've got heaps of talent, and they even have a few contacts - but not everyone seems as pleased by the idea of 'Scarlet Feather' as they are.

Tom's parents are disappointed that he has turned his back on the family building business. Cathy's mother-in-law, Hannah, already disapproving of her son Neil's choice of a wife, thinks that 'Scarlet Feather' is just a hobby and Cathy should stay at home to look after her husband. Neil himself, a high-flying civil rights lawyer, becomes ever more distant, burying himself in his work. And Tom's relationship with his beautiful, ambitious girlfriend Marcella becomes fraught as she struggles to realise her dream of becoming a model.

As Cathy and Tom strive to maintain their emotional ties amidst catering triumphs and disasters, they are supported - and undermined - by an enchanting class of classic Binchy characters: the comically dreadful but endearing twins, Simon and Maud; Cathy's homely parents, Muttie and Lizzie; glamorous, rich aunt Geraldine; and accountant James Byrne, who harbours a lonely secret.

This novel is a magical tale of love, heartbreak and laughter set in the warm Irish atmosphere that has made the author world famous.