When Mr. Blake, a widower of late,  turns up at the Domaine de Beauvillier estate, everyone – the manor itself, along with its owner and staff – are all just as badly off as he is! But unlike Mr. Blake, who has come to this familiar abode merely to collect his thoughts, the other protagonists are in the throes of tackling their respective personal problems. The arrival of this very British guest acts as a trigger, spurring them back to life.