The Next Best Thing

At thirty-five, Jane, a freelance translator, realises something rather disturbing. After fifteen years spent building the life she believed she wanted, shes failed. She thought she had everything perfectly balanced - working from home allows her to keep her financial independence, spend time with her daughter and escape office politics - but somehow, instead of combining a rewarding career with a satisfying mother-daughter relationship, shes become an all-purpose dogsbody, rushing from crisis to crisis and combining missing deadlines with repairing the dishwasher. Rupert is also leading the life he planned: a job in the city, a glamorous girlfriend, plenty of money. But hes beginning to have doubts about the dull-but-sensible route hes chosen - and to realise its just possible he wants more out of life. So when he and Jane meet, each escaping their day-to-day life with a stolen afternoon in the peace of the cinema, they both start to wonder whether its really enough to settle for the next best thing.