Simon Shaw, 42 and freshly divorced, dreams of getting away, and like most advertising men finds reasons for doing nothing about it A short break in the seductive air of Provence turns into something more The enchanting Nicole makes him an offer he can't refuse he transforms an old gendarmerie into the Hotel Pastis, a haven for the rich and famous But what are Jo-Jo and his jail-bird friends plotting over the local firewater every night in the cafe? Perhaps Simon is only just beginning his mid life crisis