There is a new bobby in Aidensfield. Steve Crane will replace PC Bradley, who has been transferred to CID. Crane is not the only newcomer in the village. Dr. Liz Merrick moves in at the surgery as the new GP in Aidensfield. She is concerned about the loss of patients since her predecessor died, but Vernon Scripps offers to deliver a letter from her to every potential patient in the village. Two neighbouring farms have been broken into, but the owners Jack Farrow and Walter Rawlins say the break-ins are mere trifles and not worth any police attention. PC Crane does not agree and suspects they cover something up. Gerald Dunphy is wanted for armed robbery and Mike's first case as a detective constable is to keep an eye on his girlfriend in case he shows up.

DC Bradley is tipped off by his informant Harry that Vic Hawking and Len Dowd have bribed the driver of a bullion van to make an unscheduled stop so that they can rob it of its shipment of gold. The police lay in wait for the robbers, but something goes wrong when the van stops at a different place than it was supposed to. Gina is not the only pretty face at the Aidensfield Arms anymore. Her niece Susie got in with a bad crowd and her mother wants her to get away for a while and stay with her aunt at the pub. But Susie is not that keen on getting away from anything and especially not from her boyfriend Jamie, who follows her to Aidensfield. He has escaped from custody and PC Crane gets more than his hands full keeping an eye on Susie in order to catch him. Dr. Merrick's waiting room needs redecorating and Vernon Scripps and his colleagues are more than happy to do it for her. Since Bernie is too busy the task goes to David.

A fire breaks out at the warehouse of Pyke Textiles. It is arson and the owner Peter Pyke is not able to throw any light on the matter, but his ex-wife Beryl holds a grudge against him for giving evidence, when she was convicted of fraud against the company and she has recently been released from prison. On the other hand a witness, Rosie Compton, saw Pyke's car near the warehouse at the time of the fire Vernon Scripps has finally settled on a mansion for his future home and wants David as his butler and chauffeur, but David will much rather stay at the cottage. When he goes to tell Bernie he discovers that his brother has restored an old horse-drawn hearse and immediately sees a business opportunity and goes into business with his new neighbour Amanda Buxton.

Former formula 1 driver Jack Maclean returns from a drive and collapses in his own hallway. He is diabetic and has gone into a coma, but Dr. Merrick soon get him back on his feet again. A car like Maclean's very distinctive Aston Martin was involved in an accident, but Maclean does not remember anything about any accident. Or so he claims. The next day PC Crane finds him dead of a massive overdose of insulin. Vernon Scripps is approached by a businessman and entrepreneur like himself, Leonard Parks. Parks has a proposition for him that will earn him a lot of money with a minimum of effort. He just has to recruit people for his organization to sell Parks' ShineFresh cleaning products. These recruits pay him a stake in return and may recruit more people who pays them a stake and so on. Just like a pyramid!

Derek Gorman is mad at the police because he has lost his drivers licence for drunk driving. He claims that they set him up and he swears revenge to Sergeant Miller. The next morning the police station has been broken into and rummaged through. Later somebody steels a patrol car in front the very eyes of PC Younger. Is it Gorman or the Leeds gangster Jimmy Faye looking for Alec Fletcher, whom the police is hiding because he wants to testify against him? Lord Ashfordly is looking for a new game keeper. Oscar Blaketon and Gina suggest to Aunt Peggy in fun that she applies for the job and she thinks it is an excellent idea. Lord Ashfordly does not! PC Mason's past catches up with him when his old girl friend Doreen turns up in Aidensfield looking for work. After a broken marriage she is not uninterested in reviving the relationship.

There has been three break-ins within a week already and the fourth item on the burglars' "shopping list" is the Aidensfield Arms. Nothing but money was taken, and the police are without a clue until Aunt Peggy and other old people receive an anonymous envelope with 20 pounds each. Money that comes from the break-ins. Furthermore Carol Cassidy saw a car in Aidensfield at the time of the break-in at the pub with a man and a woman in it. PC Mason readily admits that he was the man, but to Carol's great annoyance he does not say anything about who the woman was. Douglas Philpot asks Oscar Blaketon and Alf Ventress to look for his son Ian, whom he and his wife Mary have not heard from for three months. A colleague of his also saw him at a night club in Whitby, but that is all. The two sleuths have a feeling though that Mary Philpot knows more than she is willing to say with her husband present.