Simon Nye's modern reworking of 'Beauty and the Beast' stars Martin Clunes as Tom Fitzhenry, an ugly reclusive aristocrat who lives on his beautiful, lightly decaying estate. He despairs of ever having a relationship with a woman and never leaves his home unless venturing out to tend to his roses. When Tom is forced to hire a plumber for an urgent job at the mansion, he meets Cathy (Sienna Guilory), a quirky, vivacious barmaid from the council estate in the village, who carries out the plumbing work for her sick father. Cathy's blunt honesty is hard to swallow for Tom at first, but gradually he learns to change and love blossoms between them. But when Tom reverts back to his snobbish ways, Cathy flees back to the village. He realises that is he is to win Cathy back he must break the habit of a lifetime and conquer his inhibitions.