Symphony of Sorrow and Joy

"Stuart, why can't anyone love me?" I wailed, crumpled on his sofa, tears rolling down my reddened face. Rachel Trent is a young woman plagued by a succession of would-be boyfriends who end up breaking her heart, as she confesses to her brother, Stuart. She has seen girl friends succeed in finding love and contentment, and wonders why it has eluded her. Nicholas Keating, a Welsh violinist who has gained some success at home, is now on loan to an orchestra in America for six months. This chance of a lifetime leaves him, despite the friendliness of the other orchestra members, feeling lost and alone in a strange country that isn't quite like its portrayal in Hollywood films. Rachel and Nicholas meet by an odd accident and there is an almost immediate attraction of a sort. But Rachel is wary of letting down her walls because men leave, and Nicholas is quick to admit that he is only in the country for six months. The two take the chance of seeing where things will go, if a relationship is possible despite distance and overly-protective siblings.