Working for Abercrombie and Son in London, insurance adjuster Oliver Branwell, relatively new to the business, is assigned on Christmas Eve to assess a claim filed by Tracey Moreton of minor fire damage at his home, Lowis Manor in Sussex, the damage primarily to the building and some paintings. Beyond the investigation upon his arrival at Lowis Manor, Oliver is surprised to see that Mrs. Moreton is his old flame Sarah, with whom he lost touch with five years ago out of circumstance but never stopped loving. Tracey invites Oliver to stay for dinner partly out of courtesy; the other dining companions being Tracey's cousin Clive Fisher and Tracey's mother, Oliver and Sarah decide to act like this is their first meeting. While Oliver eventually rules that there is nothing unforeseen with the claim, it isn't until several months later while working on a totally unrelated file that he begins to suspect not only was the fire part of a fraud, but that it is connected to an art forgery scheme. Beyond what he decides to do which factors in his love for Sarah and that she may be involved in the fraud, Oliver gets caught up in such a complicated web that the investigation might threaten his livelihood.