When foot-and-mouth disease breaks out at Reg Manston's farm the whole area is put on the alert, and it is hard for the old farmer to see his life's work destroyed. Good news on the other hand for the customer's of the Aidensfield Arms. George's beautiful 18-year old niece Gina arrives in Aidensfield to help him out in the pub during his illness.

Susannah Temple-Richards has found herself a young lover although she still loves her husband Jack. She just does not want to sleep with him and puts sleeping pills in his bed time drink. That brings her in trouble when Jack is thrown off his horse and killed during a hunt. But his is not the only death in Aidensfield. Petty thief Artie Sneed has popped his clogs as well and the Rowans find Claude Greengrass lurking around in his house. The old scoundrel claims he only wants to pay his respects to Artie, but Sneed was heavily into illegal cock fighting and Greengrass wants to get hold of his birds. Others have had the same bright idea and nick them from Greengrass.