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.

Ewan believes he's struck gold when he discovers that Amy has photographed a monster emerging from the loch. Although skeptical at first, Paul too soon finds himself captivated by the mystical creature and the magical power it seems to have.

Iona is stunned when her former fiancé, Malcolm McRae, comes to Glenbogle to help save the estate's forest from a spreading fungi. The surprise forces Paul to consider his true feelings for Iona while attempting to heal the damage in the woods. Meanwhile, Jess competes in the local Ghillie's challenge, as the only woman, with all odds stacked against her.