When Constable Nick leads the long-established procession of villagers around Aidensfield's ancient parish extremities, he realises his duty as a rural bobby comprises lots of boundaries over which he should not cross. Nonetheless he must occasionally ignore such restrictions and go beyond limitations to fulfill his role as village constable satisfactorily. Far beyond the call of duty are his efforts to get a bride to the church on time, the occasion he finds himself defending a youth charged with a public order offence and his interviews with a man who buries his wife in the garden. But when St. Aidan's Well almost dries up as a body is found on the moors above Aidensfield, Constable Nick knows he is duty bound to continue his individualistic performance of wide-ranging constabulary responsibilities.