The neighbours Clive Harris and Stuart Parsons are not the best of friends to put it mildly. When Oscar Blaketon tries to mediate between their families Parsons' wife Frances and his son-in-law John Nixon are rushed to hospital with signs of food poisoning. Naturally Harris comes under suspicion, but when Gina gets ill with the same symptoms PC Bradley is sure there is another reason. While Gina is in hospital her aunt Mary comes to Aidensfield to visit her. Bernie sells a car to Laslo Riles for Claude Greengrass, but when Riles goes bankrupt before he can pay Greengrass makes him pay in kind. Thus the old scoundrel suddenly becomes the proud owner of a snake.

Wing Commander Andy Carstairs likes to fly around in his beautifully restored Hawker Hurricane fighter from World War II. One night the airfield watchman is knocked down and two explosive wedges are stolen. A gang of robbers have been using that kind of explosives to break into security vans, but Sergeant Merton thinks it is a local job when another security van is robbed using one of the stolen wedges. David enters a yellow fuchsia on behalf of his Aunt Peggy's friend Mrs. Crompton in the Aidensfield Flower Show. She has had a fall out with the chairman of the flower society Hector Plumpton and reckons she will not have a fair chance. There is another reason also. According to Plumpton yellow fuchsias are impossible to develop. So the plant makes quite a stir at the show. So much in fact that it gets stolen.