Laura Valiant and Claire Benson are best friends from childhood and have remained exceptionally close through the turmoil of adult life.  They have much to celebrate:  Laura is a partner in a challenging and successful art dealership in New York, and her marriage to the handsome and always amiable Doug seems to come right from a storybook.  Though divorced from her French husband, Philippe Lavillard, Claire delights in her precocious daughter, Natasha.

But the two friends' lives do not follow the paths we imagine they will, and when Claire is confronted with sudden tragedy, she naturally turns to Laura for help.  When the long-hidden history of the Lavillard family intersects with Laura's investigation into artwork stolen by the Nazis during the war, Barbara Taylor Bradford's gripping tale reaches a dramatic and unexpected crescendo.

A Sudden Change of Heart revolves around overcoming adversity as well as celebrating life's joy.  Ultimately, it is a moving expression of the triumph of the human spirit and the healing power of love.