Tristan comes up with a perfect way to look busy whenever Siegfried appears. Siegfried wants James and Helen to have a flat at the top of the house instead of their cramped room. The vets can't manage to give an injection to Boris, a puma masquerading as a domestic cat.

Siegfried and Tristan treat Mr. Benson's flock of sheep, most of whom are suffering from a severe calcium deficiency but several have been killed by a dog. Siegfried also has to make a late-night all to Harold Ingledew who, in his cups, is something less than efficient. James is still confined to the surgery because of a sore ankle. He meets Roderick Perowne, whose dog has been injured and Peter Marsten whose dog Jack may have gotten involved in a bit of serious mischief. Marsten is devastated when James determines that Jack may be responsible for the sheep attacks.

Tristan treats Albert Skerry's bloated cow by releasing some of its stomach gas. Unfortunately, as he does so, Mr. Skerry strikes a match with the expected results. The humour of it all is lost on Siegfried when he receives a solicitor's letter requesting compensation. Ewan Ross, a nearby vet, asks for some help and Siegfried suggests James go out and give him a hand. Ross is a formidable character who is not only one of the best horse vets around, but is also reputed to be overly fond of drink. Siegfried gets the idea that they should raise guinea fowl; pandemonium ensues when Tristan forgets to close the gate.

Siegfried has to deal with Walt Barnett, a nasty and demanding client who seems to go out of his way to be unpleasant. When Barnett needs a horse gelded, Siegfried has the perfect plan to get the better of him. James and Helen visit Jack Gilling's farm where Helen spent a great deal of time as a young girl. She is saddened by the decline in the use of farm horses but is pleased to see Badger, now the only remaining horse on the farmer. When Badger falls ill, Mr. Gilling has a difficult decision to make.

Mrs. Bond visits the surgery with her cat Boris "the Gladiator" and James is left with visible reminders of the encounter. To Helen's dismay, James has agreed to be the official vet at the Darrowby and Houlton Show. He innocently believes that it will be just another pleasant day out, but it turns out to be quite a busy day, including cheaters and some trying to enter sick animals. His biggest challenge is in judging the family pets, where Mrs. Pumphrey has entered Tricki Woo. Tristan tries to woo a pretty barmaid in the beer tent and Mrs. Hall enters her preserves in competition against the perennial winner.

Helen, James, Tristan and Siegfried have a wonderful lunch at swank French restaurant where Tristan meets Julia Tavener. He becomes desperate to meet her and sees his chance when James is called out to treat the Tavener's dog. Mrs. Pumphrey visits the surgery with Tricki Woo and also offers Tristan help and advice on his pursuit of Julia. Not surprisingly, their date doesn't quite go as planned but Tristan suddenly feels trapped by her constant attention. James visits the Bellerbys to treat a sick cow and he agrees to give them a lift to the village as they are all attending a performance of Handel's Messiah. James becomes a bit concerned however when the family's lunch seems to drag on and on and the time for the performance grows ever nearer. James also has to treat Tim Alton's prize pig who has gone off her feed. He also faces a dilemma when Mrs. Tompkins budgie dies in his care. His solution presents unanticipated results.

Helen is away caring for a sick aunt. Siegfried is on the warpath because of the number of unpaid farmers' bills. He is particularly annoyed with Dennis Pratt who has not settled his account for some time. James and Tristan have to treat a rather large and very difficult stallion. James meets Granville Bennett, a vet who specializes in small animal care, when Mrs. Barker's dog requires surgery. While the dog is recovering from the anesthetic, Granville suggests that he and James have a drink (or two or three, as it turns out) and then over to his house for a bite to eat (and a drink or two or three). By the time his visit is over, James is very much the worse for wear. James rescues a kitten by the side of the road.

James calls on Mr. Partridge who has a sick dog, Percy. James suggests that Percy undergo medical treatment rather than surgery but the medication has an unusual side effect. James notices that Mr. Partridge is a gifted amateur painter and arranges for him to paint a portrait of Bill Ogilvie's new prize bull. Partridge is amazed at the fee James has negotiated for him and gets to work but Ogilvie grows less enthusiastic when his bull is apparently uninterested in performing his "duties". James treats Mr. Rudd newly acquired cow, Strawberry, with amusing results. Tristan treats Angela Farmer's dog but he accidentally injects her instead of the dog.

Siegfried and Tristan go out of their way to make themselves unavailable so Mr. Blenkinsopp recruits James to play for the local cricket team, with amusing results. James treats the Dimmocks' new puppy with all 8 (or so) children in attendance. James decides that the pup needs Granville Bennett's special touch but is concerned that he will only get into trouble so he asks Siegfried to come along. Granville convinces both of them to stop in at his branch surgery, which turns out to be his local. Once again, James has a few too many.

James and Tristan drive back from a conference in London and Tristan promptly drives the car through the garage wall. Tristan gets a visit from a Edinburgh friend, Alice McTavish, who has 'wee Tristan' in tow. There's a simple explanation but Siegfried jumps to conclusions. Tristan is obviously very keen on Alice and starts thinking about more permanent arrangements. James treats the Barratts' dog; they are clearly an unhappy couple on the verge of a separation.

Tristan receives a visit from Alice McTavish, a friend from Edinburgh. He's quite taken with her and she with him, but things don't quite work out in the end. She accompanies him on a call to treat a choking nanny goat - who has eaten something quite unusual! James overcomes his fears and takes the leap into public speaking - at the Darrowby Youth Club. On the big day, he's running late as usual with an over-abundance of calls and when he finally arrives, the audience proves to be quite formidable.

The vets must deal with Kit Bilton, an amiable local farmer who every year fattens a pig for slaughter. Problem is that Kit becomes so fond of the animals that he's an emotional wreck when the times comes to do the deed. Helen is away taking care of a sick aunt and Tristan tries to convince James to go on pub crawl. Siegfried seems to hit it off with Tristan's friend, Daphne. James treats a dog who is late going into labour and whose owner is convinced she knows the right treatment. After a call, a local farmer invites James to stay for a bit o' bacon - which turns out to be almost pure fat; James finds a way to make it edible.

Helen returns after the funeral of her Aunt Lucy, but every time she and James try to spend time alone, someone calls him for an animal: a cow having trouble calving, an Irish setter caught in a trap, or Siegfried wanting help with rounds.

James and Siegfried treat a gypsy family's ailing donkey. It's Christmas-time and Siegfried gets to visit the Hewison farm and a chance to taste Mrs. Hewison's Christmas cake, the best in the district. Only she has a surprise for him this year. Tristan wonders if uncle Herriot has any plans to visit Mrs. Pumphrey, in the hopes of getting another hamper from Fortnum and Mason's. When Tricki Woo falls ill, James decides that the dog needs to spend a few days at Skeldale House. Siegfried mysteriously keeps the front room locked, only to arrange a surprise for a very nosy Tristan.