The Women's Guild is an organisation in the small town of Clatterford St. Mary that aims to promote truth, justice, tolerance and fellowship. Or maybe it's just an excuse for good, old-fashioned gossip. Regardless, meetings feature discussions and visiting speakers. The Guild is the center of life in Clatterford, which has a good cross-section of people, local shops and a late-night convenience store.
Sal discovers an old planning application to convert the barn in the field behind her house and, despite the fact that it is officially too late to object, she enlists the help of the Guild in an effort to stop the development.
Sal runs a surgery from her house for elderly patients who don't want to go to the doctor. Jock, who is in charge of the building works, gets the idea, thanks to Rosie, that Sal is a prostitute because so many men are visiting her. He tells James, who fears it will ruin his chance of running for M.P. He is no happier when he learns that his mother is dispensing medicine, though Yasmeen takes it well. All is cleared up apart from the matter of the vicar, who came to Sal for sleeping pills, nodded off overnight and is discovered minus his trousers.
When Caroline is planning a dinner party for husband John and his friends from London, her attempts to enlist Rosie to help lead her to mistakenly think she is being invited, resulting in an extremely awkward evening when travel troubles result in Sal, the Vicar and Suzie being the only other guests at the party. Meanwhile, Jock's attempt to apologise for an unfortunate remark gives Sal yet another problem.
As the ladies of Clatterford stage a fashion show, Sal and Jock begin to enjoy each other's company more. Panic ensues for Eileen and Katie when Margaret turns up to cause trouble, and the Vicar goes awol.
Spike and Tash are finally ready to travel the world in their converted mobile library, but a confusion with the gears leads to a call-out for the emergency services, and Sal's house ends up looking like a war zone. Jock agrees to mend the damage, and the thawing of his previously frosty relationship with Sal continues, much to the amusement of Tip and the disgust of Tash.
All bets are off, though, when it is finally revealed that the barn is not being converted for Charles Dance at all – Jock just let Rosie jump to that conclusion to get the Guild off his back. This would be bad enough if Jock hadn't promised the Guild an appearance by Mr Dance as their next (and indeed, first) celebrity speaker.
