A reality TV show for aspiring opera singers descends on Wynter Castle, leaving baker Merry Wynter with her hands full catering to the endless demands of the distinguished judges and ambitious contestants. When a dogged reporter who's been covering the competition is attacked and left for dead, Merry is determined to discover who orchestrated the heinous deed.
Bea Abbot's plans are disrupted by the unexpected arrival of one of her clients, bearing a brown leather briefcase full of expensive jewellery. Magda Summerleys has been working as a housekeeper for wealthy art expert Lucas Rycroft who, she says, entrusted her with the briefcase for safekeeping - and who seems to have disappeared without trace. Drawn into the tangled affairs of the dysfunctional Rycrofts, Bea soon discovers that other members of the family are determined to get their hands on the jewels - by whatever means necessary. Also caught up in the chaos is her ex-husband Piers, who had been commissioned to paint Lucas Rycroft's portrait. Then a body is discovered at Lucas's home.
While Bea Abbot worries that she's lost control of her domestic agency, she's asked to find some domestic help for an eccentric musician falsely accused of murder. She doesn't realize how dangerous this might be until Jeremy--fleeing from attempts on his life--lands on her doorstep.
When the party wall dividing the gardens of Bea Abbot and her fiance Leon collapses, amongst the ensuing chaos a human skeleton is unearthed in Leon's garden. Having only just purchased the property, Leon and Bea set out to discover more about the house's previous owners. Before they can proceed in their investigation however, the pair fall victim to an elaborately-laid trap. With her home, livelihood and the agency under threat, Bea appears to be the subject of a meticulously-planned vendetta. But why? And why is Leon becoming strangely distant?
