In 1968, Angus Monroe qualified as a veterinarian and began his career in a progressive mixed practice in Southwest Scotland. After three years, with a wife named Bridey and one child with another on the way, Angus decided it was time for a change. Despite a disastrous interview, he was offered a promising position in a well-organized practice in Lancashire, which came with a generous salary and a comfortable house.

However, a visit to his college friend John in the Yorkshire Dales changed his plans. John was leaving an old-fashioned rural practice and suggested that Angus might take his place. Despite his reservations, Angus accepted the offer and found himself working under the stern and difficult Murdo McMurdo. The practice was in financial trouble, losing clients to a younger and more modern rival, and Angus was tasked with convincing skeptical farmers to trust him while trying to persuade Murdo to adopt more modern methods.

The house that came with the practice was full of potential but was damp, freezing, and without proper heating, much to Bridey’s dismay. The couple faced one challenge after another during an exceptionally cold Yorkshire winter, which was made worse by frequent power cuts. Just as they began to adjust to their new life, an unexpected and shocking event turned their world upside down, threatening their family’s future and their financial viability.