Life is full of complications, and for some of the guests and staff of the Louis XVI, one of Paris’s most famous luxury hotels, it was a year they’d never forget. Among the guests are a distinguished art consultant recovering from a difficult divorce; a middle-aged doctor who receives the news that he has a terminal illness; a senior politician who is being blackmailed; and a couple who think they’ve finally found happiness only to find it taken away from them in one terrifying incident.

But for every difficult question there are answers, hidden solutions and unexpected blessings. All that is needed is the courage to pursue them. In the end, the lessons they all learn from the difficulties they face will benefit their lives in ways they could not have imagined. Their lives have been an extraordinary adventure, and every precious moment, even the hardest, is a gift.