This is a true story about Kaisu, a young Finnish girl who leaves her war-torn homeland to spend a year as an au pair in England. It will be a year that transforms her life and her view of the world. Kaisu's destination is a big old house that belongs to a by-gone era, where the long-dead "master" is venerated, family customs are punctiliously kept, and old retainers cling on. ¬e house, in Birmingham, is owned by one of the Cadbury family, who presides in lonely dominion over her dusty empire. From its strict rules and convent-like existence, Kaisu is rescued by an ambitious man who needs a wife to help him scale the heights of political life. Alone, unworldly, trusting, and completely in love, Kaisu finds her dreams come true when he asks her to marry him. Once his ring is on her finger, she realises her mistake, but it takes years before the full extent of his lies and secrecy are unveiled. By that time, he is a prominent member of the government, who is desperate to keep his job and his reputation. Kaisu now lives near Cambridge. She has since re-married and been widowed.