The story starts in a coroners court. Susan Flint is waiting to hear the coroners verdict on the death of her brother, Sam Flint. He was killed in a car crash, together with his wife. His boss, Frank Carducci, owner of the hugely successful Carducci Motors,was at the wheel. In a shock turn of events, the coroner rules accidental death. Susan leaves her college course, leave her fiancé, and moves into the flat her brother owned, in order to care for his two children. She takes on a job altering wedding dresses to make ends meet and is rebuilding her life, when Franks brother, Alessandro, comes into her life. He believes that the crash was not an accident. Susan agrees to meet with him, and he convinces her that things were not as the coroner suggested. Later that day, Susan receives an envelope of photographs and a threat. Frightened and alone, she calls Alessandro, who brings in Cherry Spencer, a detective sergeant who takes the matter personally and seriously. Alessandro heads back to his factory, realising that he may have had a near collision with whoever delivered the photos. He cannot find the driver, but he does find out that Sam and Frank had designed an engine part that was potentially worth millions, though the completed plans are missing. His godbrother, Richard Laube, calls a meeting. He wants money, to support his own floundering engineering business. Alessandro refuses.
The following day, Susan comes home from work to find that her neighbour has been brutally murdered. Evidence suggests that he saw whoever left the photographs. Carl turns up unexpectedly. He seems to want friendship, but Susan isn’t sure she can trust him.
Instead, she opts for an evening of dress making with her best friend, Becci. Clearing out the flat, they find a memory stick in an unexpected place. Assuming it belonged to her sister in law, Susan sticks it in her workbasket and forgets all about it. After attending Beccis wedding with Alessandro, Susan returns home to find the flat has been ransacked. She has to stay with him, until the police have finished their sweep. Forced into close proximity, their friendship develops. Susan is too busy to worry about it however, when she is asked to design and make a bespoke dress. Leaving work, she is mugged. Her attacker is found murdered. Alessandros house is now the only place she feels safe, and their relationship becomes intimate.
Called into work to fit the dress, Susan finds out that the client is Alessandros fiancee. Shocked at his betrayal, she leaves the shop alone, and runs into Carl. He kidnaps her, hiding her in the Carducci factory, where he confesses to all five murders.
Carl was at university with Sam and Richard Laube. They were in the same tutor group. Carl claims that Sam stole the design from him and ruined his career. Together with Laube, he had planned to discredit Sam and steal the design, but things got out of hand. Now he wants to destroy what remains.
Alessandro and Cherry use the evidence Susan has gathered and find her in time. Carl is lost in the fire he has started at the factory. The client is revealed to be Richard Laubes sister. Alessandros mother has agreed to the marriage, though Alessandro has not, having his eye on another bride.