Dorothea Ferrari is out of work and desperate for a job. Despite having no qualifications or experience in the field, she applies for the position of Agony Aunt with a local Sydney newspaper.
Misunderstandings abound when Dorothea asks her Italy-based Nona for advice on answering the sample question in the job application. Nona, ever hopeful of a boyfriend for Dorothea and eventually great-grandchildren for herself, assumes that the advice is needed to assist with Dorothea’s own new (non-existent) relationship. Crossing her fingers behind her back at her dishonesty, Dorothea emails Nona’s answer to the newspaper and tells the editor that she, Dorothea, is a 75-year-old Italian grandmother with plenty of experience when it comes to love and relationships.
Dorothea lands the job but how can she tell Nona that she lied? And besides, Nona’s ongoing advice is essential in assisting Dorothea to answer the Agony Aunt questions – of which there seems to be an endlessly increasing number. In the meantime, Dorothea is struggling with her own real-life relationships and an unexpected house guest.
The real problems start when Dorothea’s new love interest, a man who despises dishonesty, discovers just what she has been up to. How can Dorothea extract herself from her self-imposed web of lies without losing her Nona’s respect? And can she regain the love and respect of her new man, a man who might just be The One?
