A chance encounter with a mermaid leads Francesca towards a new life. But will her new life bring her the happiness she is seeking?

Francesca and her self-centered lover Jeffrey are on a cruise, when Francesca sees a mermaid. The sight of it swimming away to freedom inspires her to change her life. She leaves her lover at the end of the cruise, and moves to Lewes, to stay with Agnes Potts who is a loving eccentric and lives in unexpected untidiness in a large Edwardian house out in the country. With Agnes’ encouragement, she begins to paint, unlocking a part of herself she has long kept hidden, and embarks on a new career. But freedom brings problems and Francesca has much to learn.