Sidney Chambers has given up. Following the difficult events of the past few weeks, he is drinking like never before, and even worse, seems to have entirely stopped caring about his responsibilities as a clergyman. With Mrs Maguire and Leonard both deeply worried about him, it is left to them to try and find a way to help their friend before it is too late. But with Geordie and Amanda seemingly unwilling to help, and with an attempt to remove Sidney from the vicarage seemingly gathering strength, things are not looking good.

However, when old friend Reverend Sam Milburn returns to the parish, Sidney is thrown into even greater emotional turmoil. Claiming to be seeking forgiveness for his crimes, Sam's return leaves Sidney torn. Is Sam really here to seek forgiveness? And is it even within Sidney's gift to forgive him for crimes committed against others? Matters are complicated further when Harding and Agatha discover that Sam has returned to the village. With Harding making threats against his life, Sam flees. But when evidence of a struggle is later found, Sidney fears the worst may have happened – could Harding have murdered Sam?

Meanwhile, as Leonard continues to wrestle with his feelings for Daniel, he also struggles to make sense of a life-changing proposal from the Archdeacon. And a visit from Mrs Maguire leads to Amanda having a heart to heart with Guy.

With Sam missing, Sidney and Geordie are forced, once again, to investigate a crime together. However, when they uncover a dark secret about Sam, Sidney's fragile emotional state is pushed even further, putting even greater strain on the investigation. With tensions between the two of them at an all-time high, will they be able to put their differences to one side for long enough to stop a murder being committed?