In 1877 young Johanna McNamara leaves her quiet life on the family farm and emigrates to America to join her successful businessman brother Hugh. Full of hope, she is determined to make a success of her life. However, tragedy strikes before she finds her feet in this new world, and she must put the care of others before her own needs. Back in Ireland, farming life for the family continues through the seasons, with her brother Art struggling to deal with his troubled son Declan. Sending him to the USA is an option that might help turn him into a man. Little does Johanna know what lies ahead, with the arrival of a nephew whose act of betrayal will blow her life apart. Set in Ireland, Boston, San Francisco and Nova Scotia, Lives Apart explores the experience of emigration, both for those who had the courage to venture across the Atlantic and those they left behind.