Though she knows nothing about gardening, the day Aoife spots a neglected walled garden it casts a spell over her. She persuades its reluctant owner to let her take it over and advertises for helpers. Just two turn up: Uri, a retired tailor, and Emily, a gentle student. It's not promising but Aoife persists. The tailor's son, Seth, joins them and in time even the crotchety owner, Mrs Prendergast, joins in.Being recently widowed and newly arrived in Dublin with her little boy, the project gives Aoife a much-needed outlet in this new place and an escape from the turmoil in her head. What she does not realise is that in their various ways the other four - Uri, Emily, Seth and Mrs P - have also been burned by life and are just as in need of the garden's healing powers.As their relationships develop in surprising, challenging and life-altering ways their extraordinary stories show Aoife the amazing resilience of the human spirit. But that doesn't make it any easier for her when she has to answer the hardest question of all: can she trust herself to love again?