The Catholic Farrells and the Non-conformist McNaughtons live in the same Durham mining village. It is only when the Farrells' Aunt Biddy arrives from Ireland that the two clans finally meet, albeit disastrously. After this meeting it is the McNaughtons who are forced to look after Aunt Biddy and although Greg's family is divided by Biddy's presence, his thoughts remain with Biddy's bright young niece, Shona Farrell. It's at Shona's insistence that they all spend Christmas together. But the events of Boxing Night, when Margaret McNaughton is found wandering the streets and a local prostitute is murdered, leaves the finger of guilt pointing at Tommo. Distraught, Shona follows Tommo's trail to Manchester, a trail which Douglas McNaughton is treading for reasons of his own...