Art hour at the Duchess Hotel. Sophie Green. 2024.

Mornington Peninsula, 1999.

All Joan ever wanted was to be a painter, but after thirty-five years of being what others wanted her to be, she finds she is simply a wife, mother and good citizen. On a whim, she escapes to the grand old Duchess hotel to find herself.

Joan thinks no one at the Duchess will notice her but is quickly drawn into the hotel’s orbit. She meets seventy-five-year-old Frances, who drops by the hotel most days to escape her daughter Alison, who seems intent on putting her into a home, and hotel maid Kirriemuir, who Carrie’s the weight of the world on her shoulders.

When Joan decides to pick up a paintbrush for the first time in decades, she inspires Frances and Kirkland - and, eventually Alison - to join her. Over canvas, conversation and creativity, the four women will learn that you should always hold on to your dreams and that new friends can give you the courage to live life on your terms.