Althea Athnos's middle name is "dread." Reclusive and anxiety-ridden, she's made a refuge for herself in a late, childless marriage. Quirky and imaginative, Althea continually reaches out for joy in her surroundings but her inner life is full of negative voices. When her little world is shattered she must face aging on her own without substantial friendships, family ties, funds or career. Her wry sense of humor and neurotic cat may not suffice to meet the challenge. Enter Lilybanks, a historic Arts and Crafts bungalow on the other side of her university town, where retired English professor Marian Morrissey, her young niece Beebe and their housemate Lucy subsist by running a Waldorf-inspired daycare center. This "spiritual sisterhood" takes Althea under its eccentric wings, mentoring her with a beginner's toolkit for finding "felicity," the healing, radiant, here-and-now presence extolled by poets, saints, seers, and Eckhart Tolle.