Sarah and Michael use a house exchange agency to swap their house in Australia for a country cottage in rural Cornwall. They hope the change of scene will help save their rocky relationship.
But there are complications with the house swap right from the start: their exchange partners Olivia and Fergus arrive late and are therefore unable to show them around the house before leaving. And Michael isn’t able to stay either. A major project he is involved in means he has to travel on to London.
When the country cottage turns out to be a magnificent estate with grounds and land, Sarah can hardly believe her luck. It doesn't take long, however, for her to notice that something is not quite right. Apart from the fact that the property is in need of repair, the caretaker Albert keeps making strange intimations. When the listed stables then burn down, and Sarah and Albert only just manage to save the two horses, the young accountant Sarah starts asking questions. Was it arson? Who would want to harm Olivia and Fergus or even to kill the valuable pregnant mare Sunset? Or did the older couple start the fire themselves in order to claim on the insurance? Sarah needs to find the husband and wife and receives help from a surprising quarter: David, arrogant lawyer of Silas McKenzie, who wants to take over the property and convert it into a conference centre.
While searching for Olivia and Fergus, they quickly discover the couple never made it to Australia and instead, remained in England. Olivia and Fergus had hoped the inheritance Olivia would receive from her great-aunt would free them of all their debt. Yet the small amount she was actually bequeathed was just a drop in the ocean of their debts; Olivia and Fergus therefore spend every evening trying their luck at the roulette table.
While in London, Michael is being chased by an attractive colleague Victoria, Sarah and David get to know each other better at a village festival. Sarah now has to decide between her old life in Australia with Michael or a new one with David in Cornwall.
