Blaketon is certain his team will need no assistance at a ban-the-bomb demonstration. He begins to reconsider when Aidensfield becomes overrun with protesters against the Fylingdales radar station, and Greengrass makes matters worse when he allows the protesters to squat on the land of Ashfordly Hall. If that wasn't bad enough, an American ambassador is visiting the village, and Nick is under pressure to restore peace to the area before he arrives.

When a retired Scotland Yard detective is shot dead in his cottage in Aidensfield, Nick is seconded to a Scotland Yard team to help them investigate. As Nick locks horns with an ex-con with a grudge and uncovers a domestic violence case, the other Ashfordly boys have their hands full when the local press goes into meltdown. Meanwhile, Alan Maskell tries to stop a crime - only to end up implicated in it.