When Nicholas was four years old, his mother took him by the hand and led him away from his father, his brother and his Ukrainian home, across the Carpathian mountains, through the iron curtain and eventually to Britain, and a new life. But adjusting to his new life is hard and, growing up in Bradford, Nicholas is an outcast. His only friend is the effervescent, headstrong Faye, but when she moves away, Nicholas is left alone. For years, Nicholas dreams of Faye, his first and best friend, but when they finally meet again, neither is sure about the other. Faye is about to be married, and Nicholas is not even sure that he recognises the girl who once filled his head...