The Upton family returns home only to find much of their furniture stolen and most of the rest smashed to pieces. John Upton suspects Harry Somers, who has been seeing his daughter Ruth a lot against his wishes. The Uptons move to the Aidensfield Arms while their home is repaired, but Ruth is attacked, when she returns to the house in the evening. The upcoming artist Moira Hamilton has rented a cottage in the village and is very interested in some of Greengrass' old car parts. She even paints a portrait of the old scoundrel - well sort of. Greengrass and Bernie Scripps decide also to try their luck in the world of modern art.

Elaine Aubrey is one of Dr. Bolton's newest, but most frequent patients. So frequent in fact, that the village gossip has it that they are having an affair. He gives her a lift home from a reception at the golf club when she feels ill. Later the same evening she accuses him of indecent assault after she has had a small accident with her car. He of course denies, but why should she make a false allegation against him? Gina nearly has an accident, because somebody is mucking about with the road signs, and Greengrass encounters a re-enactment society, who is lost for the same reason. Greengrass persuades their president Mr. Pym to they re-enact the battle of Aidensfield, which "coincidentally" took place on his land. But Pym refuses to have any his men play the royalist side of the "conflict", so Greengrass has to find some people to play the royalist army.