Arno manages a little seedy hotel in Bloomsbury, dreaming of the day when maybe he can open his own lavish, five-star boutique hotel. But dreaming alone won't make it happen. A long-stay guest – an American writer – plants the seed of change.

However, when Nigel, the owner of the hotel, unexpectedly bails after a run-in with the Tax Man, the dream looks pretty shaky when it's almost certain that Arno is going to have to leave with nowhere to go. And to make matters worse, Nigel's sidekick, Adrian, also disappears, dashing any chance that he and Arno might have had of finally getting it together.

Just as Arno is readying to bail himself, he is saved by an unlikely ally. Yet, despite keeping his job, and after two years, during which time the hotel is transformed, Arno's thoughts repeatedly return to Adrian and where he ended up.

Does the attractive stranger whom Arno finds in the hotel's lounge one day have the answer?