Joanna James, a photojournalist in her mid-30s, isn't as thrilled as one might expect when she receives a coveted assignment to ride the Orient Express to Venice for a five-day stay in the sumptuous Hotel Cipriani. Putting off a much needed rest, she flies to London to catch the famed luxury train. There she racks up not one, but two affairs with distinctly different men: Henry, a wryly funny Englishman who practically sleeps in three-piece suits, and Tyler, a wilder, creative genius. Although her journey on the Orient Express offers a respite from these swiftly overheating entanglements, Joanna finds it difficult to regain her accustomed, self-protective emotional detachment. As the train chugs sedately through the European countryside, she strikes up warm and intimate friendships with the other passengers. Everyone, it seems, has a deep, painful secret to share, and by the end of her trip, Joanna has begun to come to terms with the sad moments in her own past.

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