After ten years with the Metropolitan Police, Mike has returned to his North Yorkshire roots. Working a rural beat in God's Own Country he finds that life and crime in the countryside continue to throw up fresh challenges.

When a drug dealer targets the towns and villages of Ryedale, Mike launches an investigation that will uncover nationwide connections. News of a proposed ban on hunting with dogs raises hackles amongst his friends and contacts, threatening to put him in the firing line. And, as he starts working towards his sergeant's exams, there's trouble on the home front. The roof at Keeper's Cottage springs a leak during a thunderstorm - and they have to share their love-nest with the builder.

But none of this matches the drama of the anti-hunt demo which threatens to stop a train bringing a local MP to town. With horseman racing alongside the steam engine, and a protester lying on the tracks, Mike has to call on all his resources to handle an inflammatory situation with the media looking on.