Reverend Philip Lambe is transferred from his rich rural parish to a tough Midlands city.

Lambe plans to visit the new parish he has been offered, but Emma refuses to go. Parish life is further complicated by Major Andrews, who insists on erecting a massive headstone in memory of his friend Archie Colson.

The reverend and Emma descend on Edendale and discover that it's even more run-down than the reports suggested. During the events of one night, they confirm their worst of fears and reinforce that Edendale really needs them.

The Bishop wants a definite answer from the reverend: is he moving to Edendale or not? Philip has a few days to convince his family. Meanwhile, the marriage of their best friends seems to be coming to an end.

Open hostilities are declared between Philip and the rest of the parish when circumstances suggest that, suffering from the stress of recent events, he is hitting the bottle-and his nearest and dearest.

The day of the move arrives at last, but, due to a missing tortoise and furniture van, both departure and arrival are very different from expectations.

A homeless couple arrives on Phillip's doorstep late one night and are given shelter. On further acquaintance, having no home turns out to be the least of their problems.

The plight of an elderly widow prompts Philip to ask Oscar Randolph, the local supermarket tycoon, to help him aid the elderly in the parish. Philip soon discovers that Oscar, as usual, is helping no one but himself.

When Philip tries to alter the parish hall bookings, he comes into conflict with a local martial arts club. A firm hand is called for, especially when Philip is invited to shatter a few tiles himself.

The baptism of a child should be a happy occasion, but in this case, the father and the grandfather can't agree on anything, let alone a name. When a commonsense approach fails, Emma rushes in where Philip fears to tread.

Philip is visited by a stranger who believes he has a divine mission to fulfill. A few days later they meet again, but, on this occasion, the stranger has a gun.

When his father decides to emulate Philip and take on a tough urban parish, Philip tries to dissuade him. His arguments end up falling upon deaf ears, two of which belong to a ventriloquist's dummy.