Freshly vacated by the War Office, the Graysham Hotel changes hands again when its owner, Ebenezer Evans, passes away, leaving the property in the hands of his nephew, Joe.

However, there is a clause in the will that Joe fails to grasp the full implication of: he must prove he is able to run it properly by returning a £5,000 profit to the solicitor, John Marshall, within a set timeframe or it will be passed on to a pair of long-estranged, America-living female cousins.

As Joe and his daughter set about reopening the establishment after its long closure, they rely on the returning manager to help in many day-to-day matters, but assist in the hiring of new staff - including some very peculiar candidates!

Meanwhile, little do they know that Marshall is corrupt and in league with another businessman, Barclay, to ensure the hotel does not become Joe's at all. In fact, they have learned of a major Government regeneration scheme that is set to revitalise the region, with the hotel slap bang in the middle! They intend to engineer his failure, buy the property themselves, and sell the land for the redevelopment; but they've not reckoned on Joe's daughter Brenda, or the sharp solicitor who's fallen for her...