It's Christmas, and the residents of Aidensfield have to contend with their very own scrooge, the mean spirited bank manager Gordon Stringer. Greengrass' quest to get payment for a job from Stringer lands him, Bernie and David in the cells over the Christmas period. With villagers gathering with pitchforks, Craddock and his men have their work cut out when Stringer's son is kidnapped and a ransom is demanded, leaving everyone under suspicion.