The story is set in West Cork, Ireland, in the present day. Two girls, Maeve and Aelish, are at a pivotal point in their lives, leaving their childhood behind and embarking on their future, as they look forward to university. They find a discarded lottery ticket that turns out to be worth five million euro; the signed name on the ticket is easy to read; but finding the woman with the very common name of Sheila Murphy proves to be more difficult than they expect. In their quest to find the owner of the ticket, they encounter a number of Sheila Murphys, learning valuable lessons from each of the women along the way. As the story unfolds, the lives of the inhabitants of West Cork are revealed to be intertwined and connected in ways they had not realised. Maeve and Aelish lead us gaily on a path of friendship, love, loss, learning, and ultimately, optimism.