Ally lives with her husband, Tom, and her son, Ben, in Cestrian Park, Chester. Ally loves it, but at the same time isn't sure she quite belongs there.
Next door live Juno and the half-French Manny, with their two gorgeous teenage daughters, Pascale and Sophie. Juno is beautiful, confident, curious; her household runs with a contented hum. But Juno has suddenly signed up for a reality TV show, "Queen Mum". For two weeks, she will be going to live with another family in another town, while her opposite number will be moving in next door to Ally.
Juno is excited; she thinks it will be a "fascinating cultural exchange". Ally isn't so sure; she doesn't like change. She has seen too much of it to find it interesting, and she knows from bitter experience how something precious can be lost in a moment.