Betrayal and grief have left Master Chef Lewis Mandineau a broken man. As the primary carer for his sister, injured in the crash that killed their parents, she is his priority, and nothing will stop him from creating a safe place for her to call home. But, when an ex-lover embezzles from the company accounts, his fragile hold on life disintegrates. However hard he works, he can't balance the books and his only solution is to sell the family restaurant to an American hotel chain.

Hard-headed businessman, Devon, heir to the Trelawney Hotel empire, is sent from the US to assess the viability of Laurels. Debts swamp the restaurant, and his first reaction is to sell the real estate and call it a financial win for his family. He understands tradition, but sentiment has no place in his business plans. Until he meets innocent Rachel with her love of beautifully simple things, and Lewis, who shows him that anything is possible with enough love.