This black comedy with serious undertones is set in an English rural general practice during the 1980s. Dr Cyril Peabody, whose application for promotion in hospital medicine has been rejected on the grounds of "personality problems", takes a post as a country doctor. Too arrogant to admit that he is out of his depth with the job, he develops a cynical attitude towards his patients, and finds himself in continual conflict with the senior partner and with his new wife Rosamund. Problems escalate even further when Rosamund attempts to run a drug trial and gets romantically involved with the pharmaceutical rep. Then the local community is affected by a series of unexplained illnesses, both human and canine, and suspicious deaths.