Trouble is afoot in the remote Scottish fishing village of Stoyre, where the inhabitants are acting, well, fishy. On a routine visit, Constable Hamish Macbeth finds the pub empty, the church unexpectedly full, and the very air permeated with fear. Then an explosion levels a holiday cottage and the locals call it an "act of God." Macbeth has another theory, one that can make national news. With the help of sharp-eyed journalist Elspeth Grant and his dog, Lugs, he begins to ferret out the truth. But as any good Scotsman knows, the best laid plans "gang aft a-gley." And Macbeth"s will go desperately wrong when an old friend dies, a scandalous rumor erupts, and someone close to his heart may be lost forever.