Sidney is the only friend Gary Bell has left as he waits for news about whether he will be offered a reprieve. Sidney is determined that whatever his fate, he will stand by his side – even if certain members of the village object. Meanwhile, Geordie and Phil visit the hospital where Rita Jones [Tanya Franks] recovers from the latest beating dealt out by her violent husband Eddie [Matthew Jure]. But with her children needing a breadwinner, Rita refuses to press charges. Rita's eldest son lets the two detectives into the hovel they call a family home. When they discover some recently stolen goods, it appears they finally have all they need to collar Eddie. But the man doesn't go quietly, fighting with Phil and winding up Geordie as he's carted to the cells. The next morning, Geordie's wife Cathy calls on Sidney: Geordie didn't come home last night. And when Sidney arrives at the station he finds his friend with his knuckles bruised, and Eddie, dead on a stretcher.

When DCI Benson questions Geordie's innocence, Sidney leaps to his friend's defence. But Geordie has been behaving strangely of late, and no one else can verify his whereabouts when Eddie was killed. At the vicarage, Leonard and Mrs Maguire are at each other's throats as an ill judged remark about Mrs Maguire's love life, and the accidental loss of some sentimental postcards leaves both feeling raw and misunderstood.

As Gary Bell waits to discover his fate, Sidney seeks to avoid a further injustice taking place. But as he digs deeper he finds himself questioning precisely whether he really knows Geordie as well as he thought. Could Geordie have beaten Eddie to death? Will Sidney keep the faith in his friend? And will Gary avoid the hangman's noose?

It's the week before Christmas 1954, and the forecast is for snow in the beautiful Cambridge village of Grantchester. For vicar Sidney Chambers, this is the busiest time of the year and he is rushed off his feet with festive duties. Which is useful, as it means he doesn't have time to think about his beloved Amanda, estranged from her husband and heavily pregnant, who has taken up residence nearby with her Aunt CeCe. Sidney loves her – but whether she's married or divorced, there is no way he can be with her.

Meanwhile curate Leonard Finch is embarking on an ambitious production of the nativity with the local children, and Detective Inspector Geordie Keating is grumpy at the festive spirit - all of which leaves Sidney happy to bury himself in his pastoral work.

Which is when a weeping bride reports the disappearance of her husband-to-be, and Sidney and Geordie find themselves drawn into picking through the murky motives of a winter wedding. When the would-be groom turns up dead with the wedding rings lodged in his mouth, Geordie is horrified - it has all the hallmarks of an unsolved murder from nine years before. Geordie's prime suspect back then was local toyshop owner Albert Tannen. While nothing was ever proved, creepy tales and gossip have turned his once-lively business - and personality - into a twisted shadow of its former self.

Geordie and Sidney must hunt for the killer, and hope to bring justice to two women mourning for their lost loves at Christmas time. But as the dangers grow, snow starts to fall... and waters break...