After yet another failure on the London dating scene, Kate escapes to the idyllic Exmoor village of Bursford and her 'Cinderella Project' renovating a run-down cottage on the edge of the moors. Hopes of a quiet retreat are thwarted, however, in a village seething with intrigues, a new female face attracts a lot of attention. She becomes entangled with local landowners the Blackmores - in particular brooding Ed, his divorced playboy brother Jack, and their flighty stepmother Camilla. Something is rotten in the estate of the Blackmores, and Kate's unwilling involvement threatens both her peace of mind and her safety. Will she be forced to flee back to London, or can she prevail and find a new life of rural serenity?