Howard Franklin arrives in Aidensfield to scatter his late wife's ashes. However, his mother-in-law blames Howard for the separation of her family and the death of her two sons in World War 1, and sets out on a path of self-destruction in a vindictive quest to make Howard's life a misery, causing trouble for Ashfordly's officers. Meanwhile, Nick gets involved with a security alert at the village fête, whilst Greengrass enters Alfred into the Lurcher Challenge Cup.