Five interlinked short plays for Woman's Hour around the theme of separation, based on experiences submitted to the programme by listeners.

In Empty Nest, Sheila is inconsolable when her daughter leaves home for a gap year. Can an eccentric elderly neighbour help her to feel needed again? In Fatima the Catima, Karen tries to keep normal family life going and her anxieties at bay while her husband is fighting in Afghanistan. In The Boy in the Library, Billy lives in the same town as his son and grandson, but he has never seen the little boy because of a family quarrel. Then he sees a boy in the local library who he believes is his grandson... In Twins, Janice has two boys and is delighted when she discovers that one of the twins she is carrying is a girl. But when the twins are born, her dreams come crashing down around her. Finally, in Ashes, grief leads an old lady to turn on a family member. Written by Katie Hims.