This is a novel about women helping women. It is the story of four single women in a small New England town, each living very different lives. Their daughters are all together in the same day care center and are great friends. The mothers have banded together to make daily life easier for all of them.

Brenda Ainsworth-a struggling author who is trying to save up for a writing sojourn in France-becomes part of their lives when she takes on the high-paying project of recording how these four women handle careers, adoption, illness, family, alienation, and the daily problems of having too much to do in too little time. The experience changes Brenda's outlook on life in ways she couldn't foresee, and gives her the feeling of belonging that she never knew she was seeking.