Police Constable Nick Rowan moves from London to Aidensfield, North Riding, Yorkshire to be the new village bobby with his wife Kate, who was born and grew up in the area and hopes for a position with the local GP Dr. Ferrenby. Rowan soon starts to make himself known among the locals and gets his first case. A woman thinks she is being stalked and wants him to look into it. Furthermore there is trouble brewing between local boys on motorbikes and outside hooligans for him to deal with, and his new section sergeant, the old-fashioned Oscar Blaketon from the nearby Ashfordly police station whose lifelong ambition it is to see the local rascal Claude Jeremiah Greengrass behind bars, is giving him a hard time too.

Strange things are happening at Kirlby Moor. A car driver runs down a sheep when he tries to avoid a drunken hiker, Mr. Holroyd goes missing on a fishing trip to the moor and on the bus driving across the moor the conductress Hannah Davis is subjected to indecent exposure by a drunken passenger they had just picked up on the moor. But that is not the only problem for PC Rowan. Sergeant Blaketon keeps him, PC Bellamy and PC Ventress on their toes due to an upcoming inspection at the Ashfordly police station.

Charlie Denby's record store is a popular stamping ground for teenage boys, and somebody is giving the police anonymous tips that his interest in the youths is more than just that of mere friendship. Meanwhile Greengrass is making a bob or two doing some gardening for Rene and Frances Kirby, but he seems more interested in their antiques. So when they ask him to sell some of it for them he would not be Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, if he did not try to make a killing on the deal.

PC Rowan is investigating a case where two barns have been burned down by a young man on a motorcycle. Furthermore, trouble is coming the way of Rowan and his wife when he gives justice of peace Angela Hamilton a parking ticket and she considers herself above the law in such petty cases. Mr. Sykes is having trouble with his neighbor Fiona Lambton who refuses to tie her horse, which is constantly ruining his garden. And Greengrass of all people is reporting a case of poaching.

PC Rowan has to deal with a neighboring dispute between Dick Radcliffe and Matthew Chapman.. Chapman will not let Radcliffe or anybody else cross his land on the way to and fro Radcliffe's farm, although Radcliffe claims it's a public right of way and the only other road is blocked. The matter escalates when Chapman shoots at three kids on their way to do some odd jobs for Radcliffe and they pull a prank on him in return and he blames Radcliffe for it.

A series of burglaries puzzles the police. Apart from stealing the silverware of the houses he breaks into the thief also tidies up the place. Furthermore PC Rowan suspects that the local saint miss Stirling is up to something. His suspicion seems to be confirmed when an incomplete set of figures she bought at an auction turns up complete at Ashfordly Hall. Kate Rowan has been filling in for Dr. Ferrenby while he has been injured, and now he offers her a job at his practice. But she has doubts although she has wanted that position since they arrived. Alan Maskell, a young man Rowans has helped setting up a motorcycle repair shop, is getting married to his fiancée Sandra and his father asks Greengrass to be in charge of transportation. But his lorry is not quite suitable so he "borrows" another one.

A ban-the-bomb demonstration outside the nearby Fylingdales radar station has been announced and sergeant Blaketon turn down an offer of outside help believing it will only be a small gathering. But matters are complicated by the visit of the American ambassador to the area and the arrival of the prominent activist Paul Melthorn. Melthorn is assaulted at the protesters' camp site on lord Ashfordly's field - courtesy of Claude Greengrass - by troublemakers working at Fylingdales.

Aidensfield is visited by a family of gypsies. When PC Rowan goes to investigate a complaint against them he notices that the father of the family has a bad cough and asks Kate to have a look at him. But his wife will not let her in claiming nothing is wrong with him. Actually he was born in Aidensfield and has returned to die of cancer. Blaketon is not happy about the situation and orders Rowan to get rid of them to avoid trouble. Too late it seems when their eldest son Milos befriends the vicar's daughter Anna upsetting her fiancée Jamie Hunter. When the Hunter's farm and the church are broken into Milos is blamed, but everything seems too neat to PC Rowan.

High profile murder in Aidensfield! When Mrs. Gerard gets home from church she finds her husband Andrew shot dead. Since Gerard was a well-known retired Scotland Yard detective, his former colleagues are called in from London to solve the case, which attracts a lot of news media interest too. Alan Maskell, who Rowan has helped setting up a repair shop, gets into trouble when a car he has repainted for a customer turns out to be stolen.

When Alan Maskell is charged with accessory to car theft although he helped the police to catch the thieves he makes a run for it to London. PC Rowan has been offered a position in a new anti-drug unit within the Yard, and he decides to look for Alan and bring him back for the trial since he has to go to the capital for an interview anyway. Blaketon is in high spirits when Greengrass is caught trying to sell some sheep which may be stolen. When George Ward is having difficulty driving his car and serving drinks Kate Rowan suspects he is seriously ill.

A flasher is spotted on Elsinby Moor and when Nick Rowan goes to investigate he is stopped by the flasher himself, Joe Duffy, a shoes salesman who has been held up at gun point and robbed of his van and clothes. Lord Ashfordly's arrogant son Rupert is home for a visit and Rowan thinks he may be the perpetrator. Anyway Master Rupert is using his position to make everybody else's life miserable. Especially Nick Rowan's when Rowan arrests him for drunk driving. But they have to drop the charges when Rowan fails to contact his wife in time. She is the only doctor in Aidensfield who can perform the required medical test now that Alex Ferrenby has retired. Young Ashfordly may also be the father of the child Julie Neagle is expecting. At least her father thinks so and confronts him.

Frank Milner has recently lost his grandchild Claire and blames Nick Rowan for her death. He goes to Aidensfield to get back at Rowan by making him lose somebody he loves. Sergeant Blaketon spots another chance to get Greengrass behind bars when the old scoundrel is spotted trying to get into captain Braithwaite's barn. But Greengrass has been asked to clear out the barn and when he an Rowan take a look around they discover the pieces of an old car. Greengrass thinks he has made the deal of his lifetime when he sells the pieces to Rowan for £25, but is not quite as happy when he learns the true value of the wreck.

Masked and armed robbers assault George Ward at the Aidensfield Arms shortly after closing time locking him, Greengrass and PC Rowan up in the basement of the pub while they get away. Apparently Greengrass has noticed something about the robbers, but he is not particularly eager to talk. His information leads to Alec Robinson, but he has left his family for another woman - or at least so his wife Nell and two daughters say.

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.

Army sergeant Nichols is a real bastard. Especially towards the black private Ken Marston. During a survival exercise on the moors Nichols starts shooting at Marston who jumps him in self-defense. The fight ends with Nichols falling off a rock and Marston makes a run for it believing he has killed his superior. He goes to Aidensfield to see an old friend Tom Sandford and befriends Tom's son Daniel. PC Rowan gets on his case when he breaks into a farm. Meanwhile the Sandfords are in trouble because Tom has died and the social services think his widow Helen is unstable and unable to take care of Daniel.

Rosie Tiniswood tries to kill herself, but is rescued by Kate Rowan at the last minute. Not that she is grateful though. In fact she blames the world of everything and claims that her husband is in jail for something he did not do. Oddly enough Rowan believes her story and looks into the case much to sergeant Blaketon's displeasure. Rowan especially wonders why his predecessor legendary Rowley Carsons retired after immediately after the case though still in his forties and his file has gone missing. PC Phil Bellamy is getting married, but is seriously assaulted during his bachelor party at the Aidensfield Arms. Luckily Gina and Greengrass got a good look at the assailant.

There has been a series of bank robberies all over North Riding, and the manager of the Northern Provincial is convinced his bank is next. He has spotted a mysterious woman hanging about for a couple of days. PC Rowan and PC Bellamy follow her to her hotel after another observation trip, but shortly after the mysterious woman moves in at the Aidensfield Arms. Phil is arranging a talent competition for his football club, and Greengrass is counting on making a kill taking bets on the outcome. To improve his good fortune he persuades Gina to get some of her friends from Liverpool to enter.

Marjorie Doubleday is convinced that her daughter-in-law is a bad mother. When the baby is abducted from its pram outside the Doubleday's toy store suspicion falls on a group of hippies who has taken over the abandoned Featherstone Hall and has had a clash with Mrs. Doubleday. At the same time Graham Collins reports his wife Sarah missing. Sarah desperately wants to have a baby, but cannot conceive and they have had argument about it. Greengrass is training his new race horse on High Street in Aidensfield and Blaketon wants him stopped. That is easier said than done.

The assistant chief constable of North Riding is visiting Ashfordly Hall to hunt and sergeant Blaketon wants the police station to be in tiptop order for the event. A series of small break-ins in Aidensfield is therefore the last thing he wants. And when all the 350 birds shot during hunt is stolen he wants that even less. But the usual suspect Greengrass claims his innocence and Lord Ashfordly wants Blaketon to scale down the inquiry not to embarrass any of his guests. Young Susan Rawlings is rushed to the hospital and it turns out she has had an illegal abortion.

A big amusement park is visiting Aidensfield for the annual fair. Greengrass buys a couple of paintings from two men working at the fair ground and tries to sell them to Alex Ferrenby who believes them to be worth a lot more than the £20 Greengrass is asking for them. He is right! 5-year old Brian Currie who is camping out with his parents at Mrs. Plummer's camp site goes missing. Claire Mercer, a patient of Kate's, suspects her son Michael has something to do with it.

Alex Ferrenby is knocked down by two men who break into the surgery and steal amphetamines. Afterwards they speed away in Greengrass' pink Chrysler Imperial. To stop the drugs from getting into circulation PC Rowan checks out the schools in the area and is surprised to learn that sergeant Blaketon has a son. But he is looking in the wrong places. Gina is on a girls' night out with her friend Debbie who is rushed to hospital after getting a couple of the pills in a disco. Kate Rowan is worried about Mavis Briggs who is pregnant and has a history of severe morning sickness and miscarriages.

The police in Ashfordly have been asked to look out for Stevie Walsh who has been released from prison after serving a ten year sentence for armed robbery. His wife Ellen still lives in Aidensfield and it is believed he will go there to collect the money from the robbery which has never been recovered. But a severe snow storm is brewing and in the bad weather the train carrying Walsh, Gina's cousin Barry and Dr. Ferrenby crashes near the station in Aidensfield, and everybody has to lend a hand in the emergency. To complicate matters Ellen Walsh is pregnant with her new boyfriend and Kate Rowan is out in storm trying to deliver the baby, and she knows nothing about the train crash.

PC Bellamy is in trouble. There was a break-in on his beat while he was visiting one of his girlfriends. Witnesses noticed a noisy minivan speeding away from the scene of the crime immediately afterwards. An anonymous tip leads to part of the loot - and Phil Bellamy's address. Blaketon has no choice but to suspend him from duty. Greengrass notices a fast, black greyhound and spots an opportunity to make a bob or two because it's a dead ringer for ruthless businessman Jack Scarman's somewhat slower dog Northern Flash. If only they can "borrow" it from its owner Mr. Parrish and swap the two.

A series of illegal knuckle fights has been taking place all over North Riding and sergeant Blaketon asks his constables to look out for Irishman Michael O'Leary, who is suspected of being behind them. Not surprisingly O'Leary is spotted at Claude Greengrass's place. Martin Lessor is attacked in his home, but the attacker Victor Kellerman is much more eager to see the case in court than Lessor is. To complicate matters Lessor, who is a diabetic, will only allow Alex Ferrenby to look into his medical files, but Ferrenby is away on a fishing trip.

Susan Siddons is looking after her old nanny Mary Begg, but one morning she comes to her house the old lady is dead. And that with Susan's wedding only a couple of days away. When Mary's grandson Peter, who is also Susan's old boyfriend, arrives in Aidensfield to take care of the funeral he gets a chilly reception by her father. The next day all the wedding presents have been stolen. And that is just the beginning. Kate's aunt Eileen tells her she has inherited a lot of money from her uncle. Kate initially refuses to accept the money, but then donates it to an old people's home.

Greengrass is walking his dog Alfred when Raymond Walker takes a shot at him for trespassing. And Greengrass is not the only one having trouble with Walker. He has offered Jane Thompson to buy her cottage after her husband's death, but the old lady has been the victim of harassment since she turned down his offer. She does not want to sell even though she can live with her daughter Jennifer and her husband. Alf Ventress saves a cute, little kitten from drowning and keeps it at the police station to the great displeasure of sergeant Blaketon.

DJ Tiny Weedon is assaulted after playing at a dance at the village hall in Aidensfield. Weedon claims nothing was taken, but word has it that drugs were involved. And according to young Karen Fletcher, who witnessed the assault, sergeant Blaketon's son Graham was one of the assailants. Greengrass delivers a letter to "Sweaty" Betty Such from her late husband Arthur. A few days later PC Rowan is knocked down with a spade at the church yard and the very next morning somebody has been trying to desecrate old Arthur's grave.

David Stockwell is fascinated by dogs he hears in the forest in the middle of the night. The dogs belong to a group of men involved in illegal badger digging, and when they drive away they hit David's mother with their car. She knows more about the matter than she is willing to tell and makes her backward son change his statement, but PC Rowan has already found a piece of glass from the headlights of the car that hit her and knows he is lying.

The arrival of a young American, Charlie Dameron, divides the population of Aidensfield in two. Some think he is only dodging military service in Vietnam while others do not mind his presence. Among the former is Fred Manchester, who also blames him for causing an accident. Among the latter is Claude Greengrass, who sees yet another opportunity to make some money - by selling classic motorcycles to Dameron. Only, Greengrass does not have any motorcycles to sell - yet!

An ill wind called Inspector Crossley has blown into Ashfordly police station. Crossley will be supervising Ashfordly and Aidensfield and is known to clamp down on any violation of regulations. Things do not get off to a good start when he finds the police house in Aidensfield used as a temporary surgery by Kate Rowan. Gina is happy because she has got a gig singing at a night club in Whitby. It causes quite a stir when half the village turns up to listen to her. Kate is visited by Sally, an old friend who has a proposition that makes her think. Greengrass's fate has finally caught up with him - in the shape of the Inland Revenue! Graham Blaketon's day in court for his participation in the assault on Tiny Weedon is getting nearer and Blaketon tries to spend more time with him.

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.

PC Rowan is stopped by three children, who claim they have seen a witch. And indeed they find an urn with the remains of on of Kate's former patients Amy Dewhurst, which the mysterious woman threw over the church yard fence. The description of the woman matches Nancy Bellow, the housekeeper and companion of the deceased. Now she cooks for Marjorie Salter, the grand niece of her former employer, and her husband, who are renovating her aunt's old house. The following night the Salters are admitted to hospital with symptoms of food poisoning. Inspector Crossley is so convinced that Nancy Bellow has tried to poison her new employers and murdered Amy Dewhurst that he goes to far to get a confession out of her.

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.

PC Rowan gets assigned to special duty with the CID in Whitby. He will be investigating reports of smuggling among the local fishermen. Ventress is asked to help him, but unlike Rowan he has to pay all expenses by himself since he is on holiday. Rowan's main suspect is Cedric Shanks, but to get close to him Rowan needs the help of young Jake Stirling, who is in dire need of a job because he has gotten his girlfriend Liza pregnant. Blaketon takes over Rowan's patch while he is away and uses the opportunity to keep an eagle eye on Claude Jeremiah Greengrass.

There has been a break-in at the county council office. At first it seems that nothing but petty cash was taken, but then it is discovered that an adoption file is missing. When the child of that file is abducted suspicion falls on its biological mother Sandie Eliot. Only the abducted child is not hers! Greengrass reports a murder. One of his homing pigeons has been killed by a peregrine falcon, and when the police will have nothing to do with it he and his fellow members of the local pigeon fanciers association decide to take matters in their own hands.

Gina is on her way home from celebrating a rugby match victory. Somebody attacks her and tries to rape her when her car breaks down. Luckily the attacker is frightened off by Greengrass, who is on one of his 'nightly expeditions', before things get too far. Inspector Murchison does not believe Gina's story and leans very hard on her trying to get her to drop her story. Meanwhile Phil Bellamy's tie has been found in Gina's car. Phil has nothing to do with the assault, but names a likely suspect, Neil Gibson, who is arrested. Gibson's family scares Gina into dropping the charges, but then a waitress in Whitby is attacked under similar circumstances.

A stranger walks into the Aidensfield Arms and collapses. George Ward recognizes him as Dennis Parker, who left Aidensfield and his wife and daughter seven years earlier. Parker claims he has no recollection of what has happened since he went away. He only hopes to find his family. But that may not be as easy as he thinks, because Parker is wanted for embezzling his former employer of 800£ on the day he went missing. Inspired by Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" Harold Jackson approaches Greengrass and wants him to set fire to his work shop. In return the Jackson will set fire to Greengrass' barn and they both can claim the insurance money. Greengrass wants nothing to do with it, but a few nights later his barn is on fire.

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".

When Arthur and Emily Jacobs return home from a trip to Scarborough they find their house burgled and their cattle on the loose even though they had asked his brother Darcy to keep an eye on the place. PC Rowan soon discovers that there is bad blood between the Jacobs brothers. Gina gets a visit from her old boyfriend Billy from Liverpool. But Billy has some problems with honesty. First he steals 5£ from the till in the pub and then he tries to give Gina a record player that stems from the burglary at the Jacobs farm. The latter, he claims, he bought from Greengrass - much to the delight of sergeant Blaketon.

One morning when the employees of the egg producing Rongar Farm they find the place scribbled with slogans against the use of battery hens. The owner Mervyn Sykes tries to trap the culprit when he or she returns - with tragic consequences. Greengrass uses the opportunity to start a production of eggs from free range hens, but he has no luck with it. The Aidensfield Arms is visited by the young and beautiful Loveday, who is exploring the sights of the area and needs a guide. Phil Bellamy is keen on the job. But when he goes looking for the girl he finds she has had an accident with her scooter.

Howard Franklin arrives in Aidensfield with a special request. His wife has just died and her last wish was to be laid to rest in the family grave although they have had no contact with her family since World War I. But her mother Hannah Stockdale blames Franklin for keeping her daughter away from her and for the loss of her two eldest sons in the war, and she will not even give him the time of day. On arrival he discovers that his suitcase with her urn has been switched by mistake. The annual county fête draws nearer and sergeant Blaketon has everybody on their toes. Napper Minto's dog is the favorite to win the Lurcher Challenge Cup at the fête, but Greengrass is determined that Alfred should be this year's winner and changes the odds in his own dog's favor.

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.

Christmas is near and Kate Rowan has arranged that Danny Parkin, who is very ill, gets home from hospital during the holidays. A trip to a sanatorium in Switzerland will do wonders for him and to earn money for the trip his siblings "borrows" Christmas trees from Lady Whitly's estate in order to sell them. The snobby, but very attractive Lady Whitly shows a lot of affection for PC Rowan, who is sent to investigate, and she is also involved in the local Christmas charity concert. The same concert needs a Santa Claus and a reluctant Greengrass is hired for the job. Not surprisingly he tries to make money on the deal. And speaking of Greengrass, somebody has nicked his lorry!

A dance at the village hall in Aidensfield is disturbed by a gang of rockers from Whitby. When PC Rowan refuses to let them in they start vandalizing and not even Greengrass' lorry escapes the vandalism. They even throw a bar of lead they found in the lorry through the village hall window. Only the bar is not made of lead, but of gold. And not even Greengrass knew that! The gold stems from the late Arthur Pickard's work shop, and a few days later his widow Netty finds her house vandalized. Kate Rowan starts getting nosebleeds and contributes it to anaemia in connection with her pregnancy. Unfortunately the reason is far more serious!

Joe Norton and two of his friends are terrorizing Aidensfield and they do not even refrain from emptying PC Rowans garbage bin. Nicking laundry does not seem to be above them either. The traveling gipsy Flo arrives in Aidensfield and tries to make some money by selling luck in the form of small bouquets of lucky heather. Those who do not buy are struck with bad luck, which Greengrass finds out to his discomfort. It does not take long before Norton and his gang set their sights on her caravan. Kate Rowan discovers the real reason for her nosebleed and extravasations. And she is rushed to hospital when she goes into labour.

Aidensfield is in a fever of excitement when Nick and Kate return with their beautiful new-born baby girl and everybody showers them with presents. Only nobody else in the village knows that Kate is dying of leukaemia, and Nick tries to spend as much time with her and the baby as possible. He is even neglecting his job as police constable. That leads to several complaints against him because a thief is stealing petrol from cars in the village at night. Not even sergeant Blaketon's police car escapes the thief.