The thoughts of Harold Smith, team priest/curate of the parish of Crispin Parva, are stimulated by medieval carvings. In particular, a carving of a holy man being tempted by a harlot returns again and again to his mind. As he journeys into Scotland after a visit to a cathedral in the north of England thoughts of the carved harlot become mingled with seductive memories of Cindy Clarke and her black net tights at the bell-ringers' social. Then, just before he reaches Fort William he sees two women hitch-hikers, and one of them looks rather like Cindy.