When Elizabeth drops her beloved only daughter off at college, she holds back the tears…fighting her worries about an empty nest with the thought of all the adventures that she and her husband Joel can now enjoy together. But as soon as they sit down to eat dinner that evening, Joel drops a bombshell. He wants a break.

Searching for an escape, Elizabeth discovers an apartment in Rome that is only available for three months rental to ‘an English woman of a certain age’. She reads on to find out the philosophy of Veronica, the 75-year-old owner, is that there is always joy to be found, however difficult the circumstances, and that it is an insult to the gift of life to not live it joyfully and fully – and that there is no better place to make this happen than Rome, the most beautiful city in the world.

Elizabeth accepts the challenge, and on arrival, finds that Veronica has a numbered list of challenges for her.