It's tough, being a grown-up. Alice has never appreciated that as much as she does now. When a friend's parent dies, and with her own parents experiencing health issues, Alice is beginning to understand the meaning of the term 'sandwich generation', and even more so when one of her children becomes ill. With a business to manage, and rapidly increasing bills, the last thing she needs is her best friend and business partner Julie throwing a spanner in the works. When Lydia's relationship with the famous actor Si Davey comes under strain, Alice is glad for the chance to help her, and focus on somebody else's problems for once. Nevertheless, suffering from sleep deprivation and stress, Alice finds herself challenging other relationships in her life, looking for somebody to provide the answers and support that she needs. Does she have the strength and resilience to find her way through these troubling times? And is it possible to salvage her friendship with Julie before it's too late? Shifting Sands is the final book of the Coming Back to Cornwall series, and a chance to see how far life has come for Alice, Julie and the important people in their lives. It is also a reminder that there is no such thing as a happy ending - merely happy moments, which inevitably will be followed by other moments: happy, sad, stressful, relaxing... life goes on, and the sands never stop shifting beneath our feet.