When Georgia and Steve leave university and move to her home village of Hartbridge, they look forward to a happy life together. Georgia gradually introduces her boyfriend to many of the locals, including Stan whose life had been tragically affected when he was hit by a drunk hit and run driver some years earlier. In the local pub, they meet up with Mark, a young man with Down syndrome, who is renowned for his irrepressible good humour and sees himself as a stand-up comic with a tendency to tell jokes that benefit from his jovial delivery rather than any real comedic value. The idyllic start of their time as young lovers in this peaceful East Anglian location is disrupted by the unexplained death of one resident. This is investigated by the young local police constable, Danny Bright, whose eagerness to play at detective is hindered by his complete incompetence. No sooner has he failed to sort this matter than the mysterious disappearance of a local petty villain is another event that taxes his ineffectual detective powers. His work is not made any easier by the fact that half the village seem to have strong motives for wanting to see the back of the missing man.