diff --git a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/core/PersistRequestBean.java b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/core/PersistRequestBean.java
index 38082f626..324fee809 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/core/PersistRequestBean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/core/PersistRequestBean.java
@@ -691,6 +691,7 @@ public final class PersistRequestBean<T> extends PersistRequest implements BeanP
     for (int i = 0; i < len; i++) {
       intercept.setLoadedProperty(i);
     }
+    beanDescriptor.setEmbeddedOwner(entityBean);
   }
 
   public boolean isReference() {
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanDescriptor.java b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanDescriptor.java
index abb9b245a..0c8149a6a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanDescriptor.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanDescriptor.java
@@ -2051,6 +2051,15 @@ public class BeanDescriptor<T> implements MetaBeanInfo, SpiBeanType<T> {
     return propertiesEmbedded;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Set the embedded owner on any embedded bean properties.
+   */
+  public void setEmbeddedOwner(EntityBean bean) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < propertiesEmbedded.length; i++) {
+      propertiesEmbedded[i].setEmbeddedOwner(bean);
+    }
+  }
+
   public BeanProperty getIdProperty() {
     return idProperty;
   }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanPropertyAssocOne.java b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanPropertyAssocOne.java
index d0de87896..d0c59f4d5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanPropertyAssocOne.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanPropertyAssocOne.java
@@ -578,17 +578,30 @@ public class BeanPropertyAssocOne<T> extends BeanPropertyAssoc<T> {
   public void setValue(EntityBean bean, Object value) {
     super.setValue(bean, value);
     if (embedded && value instanceof EntityBean) {
-      EntityBean embedded = (EntityBean) value;
-      embedded._ebean_getIntercept().setEmbeddedOwner(bean, propertyIndex);
+      setEmbeddedOwner(bean, value);
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Set the owner on the embedded bean property.
+   */
+  public void setEmbeddedOwner(EntityBean owner) {
+
+    Object emb = getValue(owner);
+    if (emb != null) {
+      setEmbeddedOwner(owner, emb);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private void setEmbeddedOwner(EntityBean bean, Object value) {
+    ((EntityBean)value)._ebean_getIntercept().setEmbeddedOwner(bean, propertyIndex);
+  }
+
   @Override
   public void setValueIntercept(EntityBean bean, Object value) {
     super.setValueIntercept(bean, value);
     if (embedded && value instanceof EntityBean) {
-      EntityBean embedded = (EntityBean) value;
-      embedded._ebean_getIntercept().setEmbeddedOwner(bean, propertyIndex);
+      setEmbeddedOwner(bean, value);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestEmbeddedRefreshUpdate.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestEmbeddedRefreshUpdate.java
index d078d3e1b..24e832ead 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestEmbeddedRefreshUpdate.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/update/TestEmbeddedRefreshUpdate.java
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import com.avaje.tests.model.embedded.EEmbDatePeriod;
 import com.avaje.tests.model.embedded.EEmbInner;
 import com.avaje.tests.model.embedded.EEmbOuter;
 
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
 public class TestEmbeddedRefreshUpdate extends BaseTestCase {
 
   @Test
@@ -39,4 +41,24 @@ public class TestEmbeddedRefreshUpdate extends BaseTestCase {
     Ebean.find(EEmbInner.class).fetch("outer").orderBy("outer.datePeriod.date1").findList();
 
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void test2() {
+
+    EEmbOuter outer = new EEmbOuter();
+    outer.setNomeOuter("test");
+    EEmbDatePeriod embeddedBean = new EEmbDatePeriod();
+    embeddedBean.setDate1(new Date());
+    outer.setDatePeriod(embeddedBean);
+
+    Ebean.save(outer);
+    assertThat(outer.getUpdateCount()).isEqualTo(1);
+
+    Date d = new Date();
+    d.setTime(1L);
+
+    outer.getDatePeriod().setDate1(d);
+    Ebean.save(outer);
+    assertThat(outer.getUpdateCount()).isEqualTo(2);
+  }
 }