Young restaurant owner Archie MacDonald is called urgently from London back to his ailing fathers bedside in the ancestral home in Scotland, Glenbogle. He soon discovers that Hector has nothing worse than a cold and his sweet but dotty mother Molly has called him home on a pretext and has worked events so he can't easily escape back to London.

Archie's attempts to return to his life in London are stalled by the banks threat to foreclose on the huge loan the estate has taken out. Everyone on the estate works hard to change the bankers mind when he arrives at Glenbogle but it's Lexie, the young housekeeper who persuades him that there are more important things in life than money.

Jealousies run high when Archie's girlfriend and business partner, Justine travels up from London to see what's holding Archie up. It seems she feels he has developed too much of a soft spot for local girl Katrina. She also stumbles on a locked room at the estate which apparently belonged to Archie's brother who drowned when they were teenagers. The Glenbogle ball proves to be the scene of the Justine/Katrina showdown.

A visiting genealogist friend of Hectors discovers a diary which records Katrina's mother, a former servant in the house, as having an affair with someone called ‘H'. Molly is understandably upset by the implications until it is discovered that Katrina's father, the mysterious ‘H' is the genealogist himself.

Archie's wayward sister Lizzie turns up with her New Age boyfriend Gerald and it seems the pair have big plans to turn Glenbogle into a kind of hippy retreat. Archie and Gerald end up at loggerheads, however, when some of their New Age ideals seem to involve Hector rediscovering his lost youth and taking an ill advised swim in the lake.

As the Laird of Glenbogle Archie takes part in a traditional boat race across the loch. He is up against Laird Kilwillie, a neighbouring land-owner. Archie finds himself having to race to win back a MacDonald heirloom ring which has ended up in Kilwillie's possession.

Archie tries to juggle his life in London with his new role as Laird of Glenbogle. He and Lexie make a hectic journey down to London for a special Highland night in his restaurant and he dashes back north just in time to see Katrina beat Kilwillie in the local elections. Understandably Justine's patience is wearing very thin.