Into the ordered life of thirty-three-year-old Edward Netherford comes the Brockman family. Loud, brash and demanding the return of three Impressionist paintings which have been retained - illegally, they claim—by their late father's second wife. Edward's legal services—and his even temperament - have never been more severely tested as letters to the second Mrs. Brockman in York remain ignored and unanswered. It soon becomes clear that some more positive move has to be made. Under pressure to make an early settlement, Edward decides on a personal interview and travels to York, planning to mix business with pleasure by staying at an old school friend's hotel. But stormy weather and a calamitous fire at the Cross Keys force him into much less suitable accommodation miles out of the city - and into the company of a beautiful young woman whose chaotic lifestyle proves to be a surprisingly pleasant diversion from the thorny question of the missing Brockman inheritance.