In his final case before retirement, a downbeat Ventress mounts a large-scale surveillance operation in an effort to nail the son of the biggest rug manufacturer in Yorkshire when he begins de-fleecing sheep in Aidensfield. Meanwhile, Bernie finds himself in hot water with a Australian newly arrived in Britain to bury his estranged father, who has already been buried by the undertaker, whilst Blaketon fends off the advances of a local widow.

The police are puzzled when it seems a retired colleague of Ventress and Blaketon's has become the unlikely victim of vandalism. Suspicions are soon aroused over the reasons for his sudden return to the village and his connection to a prominent judge who is staying at Ashfordly Hall. Meanwhile, Vernon encounters dangerous wildlife as he stashes his capital in Ashfordly woods following a visit from the Inland Revenue, but decides to turn the incident into another money-making scheme, leading the entrepreneur into further peril.