An encounter she never expected to have prompts Rebecca to abandon her high-powered, successful life in Edinburgh to seek refuge in Ardlonach, the family home on the West Coast of Scotland. But Rebecca doesn't find the peaceful haven she expects.

The beautiful house, now run as a hotel by the cousin who owns it, is in turmoil - and full of people with more immediate problems than Rebecca's own. Never one to resist a challenge, she puts her future on hold and sets about making the venture a success. In doing so, Rebecca achieves at last a sense of belonging.