Abby finds a chest belonging to the previous owner of the house, the late Annie Macdonald. In it are keepsakes of her fifty-plus years of marriage. Going to ask Helen Kennedy for an address for Annie's son, Paul, who has moved away from the island, Abby notices that she has been crying. Later, when Abby meets Helen again and sees that she has a split lip, she guesses that her husband, Big Jerry, has beaten her. He has been taking unemployment hard. He is full of anger and is drinking heavily. When Big Jerry hits Little Jerry, it is a blow too far for Helen. She takes her son to stay at Abby's. Abby tells Helen that she was the victim of an abusive relationship in the past. The islanders are divided in their attitude to Helen and Jerry's situation. Some of them believe that they should sort out their problems in private and go on as usual, and that Abby is doing no good by interfering. But she has an ally in Douglas.

Abby's old friends, Jackie and Donna, come to the island for a hen weekend before Jackie's wedding. Abby realises she has changed since coming to Ronansay and has grown less tolerant of her friends' raucous behaviour. Relations become further strained when Jackie accuses Abby of leading Kenny on - and reach breaking point when Abby finds Jackie and Donna playing strip poker with Alfie (and losing).