It's almost Christmas, and Kate Ashenberry, disillusioned and in flight from her violent lover, arrives in London to spend the festivities alone. But the heart of the Victorian mansion block she has made home is its residents, and nothing beats the variety of those living in Kensington Court. Within days, Kate finds she has a whole new family, sometimes fun, sometimes interfering, always neighbourly. Yet Kate has a sense that all is not quite as it seems, and when the killing starts, the cosy, comforting camaraderie of Kensington Court collapses entirely.