Personal crisis takes Hamish to a remote island from which he intends never to return. But he is not alone. Meanwhile, his absence from Lochdubh is keenly felt when his over-zealous replacement makes himself a nuisance.

Hamish turns a deaf ear to the local pirate radio station which is having a remarkable influence on the town. But when the radio authority sends a defector van to close down transmission, he is caught up in a conflict of loyalties.

A family feud at the funeral parlour comes to a head. It is suggested that space aliens have snatched a body from the local burial ground.

Whale-spotting trips and the disappearance of a local seafarer involve Hamish in a murky underwater investigation.

Village reporter Isobel stumbles on a story that could put her in the big league. She emerges with a fresh image and a hot new boyfriend, leaving Hamish squirming with jealousy.

A hellfire sect leader sees the town as the new Gomorrah. Hamish's reputation is undermined and his tolerance stretched to the limit when he is denounced as the devil incarnate.