'...I turned around and it happened. I can still remember the red t-shirt and the jeans she wore, how the sun felt on my face, how the sea smelt in the wind. How I was rendered speechless. I looked at Anna and smiled to myself. How am I going to stuff this up?' Phil thinks he has his life mapped out until a trip to Croatia unravels all his plans. Back home, his mate Hannah offers strength, advice, and a voice of reason. But nothing can prepare Phil and his friends for what happens next, turning all their lives upside down. Phil is yet to realise that time waits for no man.

She is the pen pal he never met. She is the keeper of his secrets and has known him since he was a teenager. Then terrible things happen, and Karen Arkos wanders back into Phil's life. Together they must face tragedy and heartbreak: the aftermath of terrorist attacks in London, the cancer that is ravaging Karen's body, upset family and bewildered friends. A great adventure—through Europe, China and Russia—may be the chance they are both looking for to escape. But sometimes, when you least expect it, your past catches up with you.