Former Manchester gang member, Alex Robateau, is now living the good life as groundsman at an exclusive Surrey sports club. The handsome 28-year-old enjoys the raunchy attentions of bored wealthy women, as well as the affections of young Carla, back from university. Set during a couple of hot summer months, Alex keeps himself fit and plays cricket for the local team. With Carla he genuinely tries to behave like a gentleman, until a violent episode throws them together. It is during this stressful time that Alex meets his "once in a lifetime" girl, the beautiful and fascinating Joely. Inexplicably, he rejects her advances, convinced something that perfect must really be false and selfish. Immediately after pushing away Joely there comes an anonymous offer to commit a stranger on stranger murder. All the demons of Alex's past life reappear as he struggles first to consider the offer, while maintaining a normal façade, and then after a reality-check trip home, he decides he has to accept the contract. Despite paranoia kicking in with all his connections to scheming women and jealous husbands, Alex starts to stalk the victim and formulate a plan. But the reappearance of Joely complicates matters. So begins the strangest of love affairs - Alex torn between delirium and despair at what he is committed to. Alex justifies the continued liaisons with the tennis widows and the besotted Carla by making Joely the prize for after the deed is done. Finally he finds a way through the complicated relationships to make an attack at his victim, only to finish up with a shocking double twist.