In 1993, on holiday with her husband in Turkey, Barbara meets the handsome-though-troubled Mehmet. Back home in Oxford, Barbara returns to the stifling routine of her loveless relationship with her sociopathic husband. One year on, Barbara returns to Istanbul, alone, to discover whether the 'spark' between her and Mehmet is real or imaginary. It is a tale of freedom and duty; the exotic and the mundane; an exciting journey through passion, friendship, tragedy, love and loss, in search of lasting contentment.