Sidney is woken in the early hours by a fire in the village and, putting his life on the line, races to rescue Marion Taylor from the burning house, much to the relief of her husband Dominic. But there are questions surrounding the blaze - was it really an accident, and why was Marion so reluctant to leave? Normally Sidney would turn to Geordie to help solve a mystery like this, but he finds the detective is far from his usual self. When Dominic is then found stabbed to death, it's Geordie's junior, Atkins, who is sent to head up the case - and he's not exactly a fan of interfering vicars.

With Amanda and Guy's wedding fast approaching, and his betrayal of Hildegard still fresh in his mind, Sidney is thrown deep into crisis, and the murder of a local cop doesn't help matters as he allows himself to become drawn into another case with Geordie. However, tragedy strikes as the duo close in on the killer, and with Geordie's life hanging in the balance, the clergyman finds himself cut out of the investigation as the police close ranks. But that doesn't stop him enlisting the help of Mrs Maguire and Leonard in a daring mission to gather information on the man who shot his partner.