The children of Portwenn primary school are being read a fairy story by headmistress Louisa as the grumpiest doctor in the West Country marches through the fishing village but will they need his help?

The children of Portwenn primary school are being read a fairy story by headmistress Louisa Glasson as the grumpiest doctor in the West Country marches through the fishing village. Suddenly Louisa feels faint and passes out in front of her class.

Although she insists she is okay, Dr Ellingham is concerned she may be anaemic and asks her to see him at his surgery. Later on at the surgery she feels uncomfortable talking to him because of their shared personal history and requests a transfer to another doctor.

Louisa tries to talk about their relationship but, as usual, Dr Ellingham fails to pick up on the personal signals. He is as blunt as ever and has no words of reassurance. Any chance of romance seems doomed.

Meanwhile school dinner-lady Alison Lane is struggling to control her adolescent daughter Delph who is constantly in trouble. Alison is convinced Delph has a medical condition. But the doctor disagrees and is quick to dismiss her without treatment because, in his opinion, Delph is a delinquent in need of good parenting.

But he re-thinks his diagnosis when he begins to suspect the cause of Delph's hyperactivity might be the diet pills Alison has been buying from the pharmacist Mrs Tishell.

Delph is nearly killed when she jumps from a moving trailer and crashes through the glass door of village shop. As Martin treats Delph, he's overcome by his phobia of blood. Help is surprisingly at hand from his receptionist Pauline Lamb.

Pauline is becoming increasingly frustrated by the limitations of her job and is continually overstepping the mark by interfering with the doctor's duties.