Alan's back and life is on the up: he's got the third best slot on Radio Norwich, a girlfriend and a Lexus. While at the garage, Alan meets one of his old teachers, who is persuaded to let him give a talk at the school about how he has 'bounced back'.

Alan's house is finally ready and Sonja is angling to cohabit. Meanwhile, Alan's book Bouncing Back has been unsuccessful, and is to be pulped and Lynne is to be baptised. All is going well, but Alan can't stop the flashbacks of the painful days when he ate 4 medium sized Toblerones and drove to Dundee in bare feet.