Christine and Elena grew up in the same suburb of Sydney and first met at kindergarten. They took to each other immediately and became inseparable friends throughout their school lives. Elena's parents had moved from Greece to Australia, and her grandparents still lived on the small Greek island of Santorini, When she was 16, Elena visited her grandparents for the first time. On returning to Australia, she talked endlessly about her grandmother's next-door neighbor, Mara. When Christine expressed puzzlement at Elena's obsession with people next door, Elena admitted that Maria had a handsome son called Nicos. She showed Christine a photo of him, standing next to his prize possession, a motorbike. Elena and Nicos exchanged emails for a while, but suddenly Nicos stopped writing. While not heartbroken, Elena was nevertheless hurt. A year later, when Christine announced that she was going to visit Greece, Elena begged her to visit Santorini and say hello to Maria and Nicos. Christine agreed to do so. 

When she flew into Athens on an unseasonably cold day in September, she quickly realized that she hadn't brought enough warm clothes. Walking through the streets of the Greek capital, she happened to see a nice coat in a shop window and went in to ask about the price. The coat was too expensive, but as Christine was about to leave the shop, the woman asked her where she was from. When Christine answered Australia, the woman agreed to reduce the price because she knew a nice girl from Australia called Elena. Christine then noticed a photo of a young man standing next to a motorbike. Her eyes opened wide with astonishment. It was Nicos! Indeed the young man was Nicos, and the woman in the shop was Maria. She had come to Athens from Santorini to look after the shop for a friend. 

Sadly, the story has a tragic ending. Nicos had been killed in a motorcycle accident. 

"I wanted to tell Elena," said Maria. "But I didn't know how. Now that I have met you, I know that it's time to tell her."
Who was killed in a motorcycle accident? Whose son was he? What was his prized posession? Where did Christine and Elena first meet? In what city? Why was Elena concerned about the next door neighbors? Where was Elena's family from? Who still lived there? On which island? How old was she when she visited? Was this her first visit? How did Elena and Nicos keep in touch? Who stopped communicating? What did Elena see in the shop that caught her eye? What was she thinking about purchasing? Could she afford it? Why did the shopkeeper offer her a discount? Who was the shopkeeper? Where had she moved from? Had she told Elena why Nico stopped writing?
Nicos Maria's a motorbike at kindergarten Sydney Elena admitted that Maria had a handsome son Greece her grandparents the small Greek island of Santorini 16 yes They exchanged emails for a while Nicos a photo of a young man a nice coat no Because Christine answered that she was from Australia Maria Santorini no