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.

But Carlisle takes a dislike to Ripley, which makes him all the more determined to prove the businessman is the culprit.

Family problems add to Ripley's headache; his young son, Danny, is seemingly hiding something and his 20-year-old daughter, Shyanne, brings home an unsuitable new boyfriend - a man Ripley was at school with. Ripley instructs Shyanne's partner to end the relationship. Shyanne is left heartbroken. Meanwhile, Carlisle takes a shine to Natalie, Ripley's wife.

The murder investigation begins to make Ripley's life very difficult.

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.

When a huge tax bill surfaces and puts pressure on Ripley's finances, his friends Terry, Jim and Adrian, who have invested in the arcade, start to get twitchy.

Meanwhile, Natalie agrees to go on a date with Carlisle – unaware that he is investigating the murder. And Shyanne's love life takes a turn for the better when she's reunited with Steve, who'd earlier been warned to stay away from her by Ripley.

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.

Shyanne's boyfriend, Steve, is badly beaten up. She's convinced that her father is behind the attack, but he denies any involvement.

Danny starts to crack under pressure, and ends up getting himself into even more trouble. He's set up in a drugs bust, but Carlisle just gives him a ticking off. What Carlisle really wants is evidence that Ripley committed the murder. Danny, though, shocks him by turning up to the police station and confessing to the murder himself.