Ripley Holden is a small-time entrepreneur desperate to make it big with his new state-of-the-art amusement arcade. The opening extravaganza is overshadowed by the find of a dead body on the premises. DI Carlisle is called in and quickly finds he has more on his mind than murder, when he falls in love with Ripley's long-suffering wife.
Local entrepreneur Ripley Holden, a brash, charismatic family man, holds a lavish opening for his new showpiece arcade in his beloved home town of Blackpool. However, his fortunes take a turn for the worse when he discovers the dead body of a young man on the premises. Keen to get the case cleared up, Ripley co-operates with the investigating police officer, DI Peter Carlisle.
The murder victim is identified as a young man who'd been out on his stag night. The investigation starts to threaten Ripley's business when Carlisle temporarily closes down the arcade for forensics. DI Carlisle calls Ripley's son, Danny, in for questioning; he's convinced that Danny knows more about the inquiry than he is letting on. Carlisle suspects he might be covering for his father.
Forensic evidence links Ripley ever more closely to the murder, and his application for planning permission is rejected. It seems Lady Luck has turned against him and his world is falling apart. Natalie discovers that Carlisle is a police officer, and that he has been investigating her family. She is devastated; the little time they've spent together has made her feel more alive than she has felt in years.
Carlisle doesn't believe Danny's confession to the murder. He's convinced that Danny is covering up for his father, Ripley. Natalie confronts Carlisle and warns him to stay away from her, and her family. Heartbroken, Carlisle sets out with a renewed determination to nail Ripley, his love rival.
Natalie provides Ripley with a watertight alibi for the night of the murder. Carlisle knows she's lying, but there's nothing he can do about it. Meanwhile, Ripley's business is falling down around his ears. Marr, Ripley's friend and trusted financial advisor, reveals his true colours with a mean trick he's had up his sleeves. Ripley isn't prepared to go down easily, but events spiral even further out of control as he struggles to hang on to what little he has left. Ripley's friend Terry also confesses that he's been informing the police about Ripley's activities on the night of the murder.
On the morning of Shyanne and Steve's wedding, Ripley finally tells Natalie that he knows about her affair with Carlisle. But is their marriage over for good? Carlisle turns up at the ceremony to arrest Ripley for murder - but Ripley confronts him over the small matter of his compromising affair with the suspect's wife! Besides, Ripley is not prepared to go down for a murder he did not commit. Ripley sets out to do right by his family, while clinging on to his lifelong dream of joining the big players.
