Frank Mellor has promised Eddie King that he could rent his Aunt Mattie's cottage when she died so that Eddie could marry his girlfriend Brenda, but in stead Mellor has put the place up for sale. When the cottage is auctioned off to Martin Shepherd and his wife the house gets vandalized. A peeping Tom is at work on Lapwing Lane where Brenda lives, and Eddie gets under suspicion for both that and the vandalism. Although Nick's father died during the war his mother Ruby has decided that her life definitely is not over and like a big, white shark she tries to sink her teeth into sergeant Blaketon. When she fails she goes back to London and Kate's Aunt Eileen moves in with Nick in her place.

Someone has let Bill Ruane's horses out, but he manages to catch them with the help of Jo Weston, who is on an outing with her students. Ruane has financial troubles because nobody has money to pay him. He is suspected to be behind a series of burglaries in the area including one at Ashfordly Hall in which his lordship's game keeper Gillies is knocked down, and part of the loot from that burglary is found at Ruane's stables. Greengrass has a flat tyre, but luckily his is picked up by his nephew Norman and Jeb, Norman's new friend from the American air force. They have a business proposition for him. The have started an import business and need storage space.