ADRIAN MOLE is thirty-nine and a quarter, struggling to afford his riverside apartment and facing mounting debts. Forced to relocate to a dreary area near Mangold Parva, he now lives in a semi-detached converted pigsty next to his parents, George and Pauline. Adrian works at a second-hand bookshop owned by the aristocratic Mr. Carlton-Hayes, whom he wishes he could see as a father figure. His glamorous wife, Daisy, despises the countryside and longs for city life, both aware that their marriage has lost its spark but unsure how to revive it. Compounding his troubles, Adrian is experiencing alarming health issues, leading him to suspect prostate problems. Meanwhile, his mother is writing a fictional misery memoir about her childhood and believes an appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show could resolve the mystery of her daughter's paternity. Questions arise about Mr. Lucas, their former neighbor, and the potential shock of a paternity test for George, who, despite being disabled, continues to smoke. As Adrian's concerns grow, a slightly tipsy call to his former love, Dr. Pandora Braithwaite, stirs memories of their past and leaves him wondering if she might be his salvation.
