The medic struggles to dissuade the locals from using his surgery as a drop-in centre and finds himself forced to deliver bad news to a former teacher already bitter at losing his job to Louisa. Adding to his woes, the decision to sack incompetent receptionist Elaine results in the entire village ostracising him.

Louisa tries to help one of her pupils, a bright 10-year-old who finds it hard to fit in and responds to stress by running away from home. Mark seeks advice on how to remedy his lack of success with the opposite sex, while Martin encounters a delusional park ranger with an unusual imaginary friend - a giant squirrel called Anthony.