It is the story of a young boy who is taken in by his mother's family upon the death of his father. His mother has been dead since he was 3 years old. The family consists of kind Uncle Reggie, a frustrated writer, flamboyant Aunt Dottie, dramatic Aunt Vivi, sensible old Aunty and cousin Audrey. This is a close knit family that enjoy each other and the finer things in life. They take in young Paul who, having lived with his dour, ultra-practical father, is unused to the cheerful, loving way this family lives every day. His uncle takes him under his wing and through much patience and encouragement, begins to bring shy Paul out of his shell. Unfortunately, things are not as rosy as they seem to Paul and the end of the book brings a sad and awful surprise. --joenkaren at Amazon.com.