A number of sheep has been savaged or killed, and Inspector Crossley is convinced that a very big cat like a puma is at large in the area. To Blaketon it looks more like the workings of a dog and Greengrass' lurcher Alfred seems to be the culprit. Kate Rowans starts in her new job at Dr. Radcliffe's surgery in Whitby, although she feels as if she is being kept outside deliberately. Not by Dr. Radcliffe himself, but by his receptionist Christine Ferguson. Meanwhile Greengrass has settled his outstanding account with the Inland Revenue in his own, very unique way.

Young Jamie Halsted is camping out with he parents. He is very sad because his dog Sam is missing, and when a man dies of rabies Sam gets under suspicion because Jamie's father is a former army major, who has been stationed abroad, and Blaketon organizes a major search for the animal in order to stop the disease from spreading. There's a new police car in town, and PCs Rowan and Ventress take it out for a spin. It has been some time though since the last time Alf Ventress was behind the wheel.

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.

Believing he has killed his captain in a brawl the Russian sailor Vladimir Ivanov makes himself scarce and asks PC Rowan for political asylum. But Ivanov does not trust immigration officer Fillingham and clears out once again during transport to the immigration office in York. To satisfy his hunger he steals the lunch of Dr. Radcliffe's daughter Jennifer, who is on a field trip with her class. Jennifer wanders off with her friend Dennis and follows the Russian with a childish notion of catching him and become heroes of the day. Sergeant Blaketon starts a big search for both the Russian and the two children.

Ron Cooper is an old army veteran with enough illegal weapons, ammunition and explosives to run his own militia. He gets injured when a rifle backfires and is taken to hospital. Unknown to him four boys have found his collection and they "borrow" a box of ammunition not knowing how dangerous it is. Furthermore Greengrass buys some hand grenades from Cooper's helper Morris and cleans out lord Ashfordly's entire stock of trout. Meanwhile Kate Rowan's work at Radcliffe's surgery in Whitby is taking its toll on their marriage and they start to drift apart, when Kate discovers that she is pregnant.

Dr. Kate Rowan is spending several nights per week in Whitby while she works in the Whitby practice. Nick isn't happy at being left alone. Nick gets rebuked by Blaketon because his shirt isn't ironed. Blaketon says it shows lack of respect for the job. Lead has been stolen from the roof of a farm house and some out-buildings. Smoke pours from Greengrass' house and three young men who are camping on his land see the smoke and rush to help. Kate has discovered that she is pregnant and she thinks about the way a baby would affect her career, and Nick's. Lead has been stolen from a church roof. Blaketon has realised that there is something wrong in the Rowan household and he goes round to see Nick for a personal chat. Nick confides in him that he thinks he and Kate are drifting apart. Kate is back in Aidensfield and she runs into Nick. She tells him that she is pregnant. They have an emotional, heart-to-heart conversation. Kate Rowan has to make a tricky climb on to a church roof to give aid to a badly injured lead thief. Music in this includes "We Can work It Out", "Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye", "Magic Bus".

Ronald Pitts wants to buy Tom Abbott's farm, but the old man does not want to sell. One morning his sheep have been let loose. Furthermore Kate Rowan suspects that there is brucellosis on his farm, because a young girl, Jane Shields, has caught the disease apparently by drinking unpasteurized milk from one of his cows. Greengrass is going to church. He has not become a holy man though, but he tries to get a reward for finding a lost heir and wants to look into the church records. PC Ventress still has not quite got the hang of driving. On a nightly patrol he parks his police car in the middle of a river trying to avoid a flock of sheep on the road. When he leaves the car to get help he hears an eerie scream.