Ralph Diggerby, a lonely, shy, almost reclusive elderly man has moved himself into a retirement home where he is befriended by a seventeen-year-old care assistant, Jessica, who is intrigued by the lack of any photographs or family memorabilia in his room. Through her prompting and gentle teasing, Ralph slowly recalls his life story; something he has kept as a tightly closed secret; a life that was hitherto, full of regret and sadness; a life seemingly...