When obstetrician Martin Bamford learns that his wife has been unfaithful to him with all three of his best mates, he decides to leave London for a short while to clear his head and decide what to do next. He heads to the village of Port Isaac in Cornwall where he had spent some time as a boy. He's a bit of an oddity in the village and some at least suspect he may be there for no good reason. He soon makes friends and finds himself working on a fishing boat and enjoying a somewhat carefree life. Someone in the village is distributing poison pen letters of a sort with messages or photos stuck inside jellies that people find on their doorstep. Soon, some of the villagers point the finger at Martin who thinks those accusing him are daft.