A Year at Nethercombe Ley

Harry Simmonds is a reasonably successful businessman whose comfortable, contented suburban life is shattered when his wife leaves him for another man, and to satisfy her need for a career of her own. Lacking a steadying influence, Harry has sought solace in self-pity and alcohol. His daughter is at university, and his 18-year-old son, tired of bearing the brunt of his father's drunkenness and depression, has left home and fallen under the unsavoury influence of a school friend. Realising he is on a downward spiral, Harry takes the decision to make a dramatic change to his life. To give himself time and space to seek redemption and renewed purpose, he moves to a quiet Dorset village, where he is befriended by the local vicar, who coaxes him from his isolation into village life. During the course of a year, Harry embraces and adapts to a new and unfamiliar environment, and through new friendships and a growing appreciation of nature and the changing seasons, changes his outlook on life. The influence of three women helps him to regain his confidence and self respect and transforms not just his way of life, but his whole attitude to living.