Lana Gifford has always been an admirable woman: a dutiful daughter, supportive wife (now a widow) and reliable and steadfast friend to Nell, Denise and Olive, colourful characters who she meets once a week, working at the local charity shop. But beneath the surface, Lana has one fatal flaw: she believes that money is a substitute for love and this belief has always influenced her actions. As she watches her friends and their families go about their lives, finding happiness through various means, she decides the time is right for her too, and she resolves to pursue her friendship with Marius Huysens, a Dutchman with a waterside garden full of trees and old roses. But will marrying Marius really make Lana happy or can she face the truth: that, ultimately, she will never be satisfied with what she has?.