Valentine's Day in the Trench household is marked by it being the one day of the year when cookery writer Damien Trenchis not allowed in the kitchen, so that his partner Anthony can prepare a romantic meal in private. Problem is, despite Damien's best intentions he simply cannot stop himself trying to get into the kitchen to see what Anthony is cooking. What's more, he really should be getting on with other things - he has an entire script to write for a forthcoming documentary series about the culinary habits of the nation's great poets, called 'Poets and their Palates'. But when plans for the series are thrown into doubt, and Damien is thrown out of the kitchen - and out of the house - he is forced to accompany his builder Mr Mullaney into a brave new world, and discovers that the answer to one's problems can lie in the most unlikely of places.