Rosamunde Pilcher: TOWN, COUNTRY, KISS

Flora loves her son Luke more than anything. But the smart teenager with a mild form of ADHD repeatedly causes trouble at school, causing problems for his mother. On the advice of the school administration and the school psychologist, Flora is to ensure that Luke has peace and quiet as well as exercise during his holidays. So the two spend the summer holidays with Flora’s mother Liz in Cornwall. Bernard, Flora’s partner, prefers to stay at home. But Flora and her unconventional mother can hardly stand each other for more than a weekend. Their ideas of what constitutes a good life are fundamentally different. That is why Flora moved to the big city 14 years ago, where she soon became a mother herself.

However, there is no sign of peace and reflection in beautiful Cornwall at first: it doesn’t take long before Luke is in trouble again. Despite several “Keep out” signs, he enters a private estate and meets Sir Henry, a grumpy bird-watcher who has fallen out with half the village. After Luke gets slapped in the face by him, Flora wants to press charges. But when Flora recognises the village policeman Eric, she is shocked: Eric, her best friend from her youth, is Luke’s father – and didn’t want a child then. Without further ado, she tells Eric to keep his distance. For the time being, he keeps his distance. Meanwhile, Luke and the oddball Sir Henry are getting closer behind Flora’s back. The two headstrong outsiders become friends – without suspecting that they are related by blood. For Sir Henry is Luke’s grandfather. When Eric finds out about this, he knows that it is against his agreement with Flora. But he is also drawn to the boy to whom he is not allowed to be a father. When Bernard shows up unannounced at the door, the chaos is completed.