From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishit’s a different storyit’s a different storyused to say that something is not what you expect it to be It looks like a big house, but inside it’s a different story. → story
Examples from the Corpus
it’s a different story• Between races it was a different story.• But his recent speeches, carried on the Internet and in church publications, tell a different story.• But it is a different story when we focus on phonological change.• It means that if the engineer comes up with a different story they can use this to embarrass the plaintiff at trial.• Lee told a different story in her lawsuit.• Perhaps if people had spoken up, taken a strong stand, history would tell a different story.• Taxes on rented and business property are a different story.• They then have a moment of near romance before wandering off into a different story. 