Erik and Ann Shepherd's marriage is, at best, uneasy - haunted by memories they would both rather forget. Donald Culley's arrival in Aghios Nikolaos stirs up more than even he realises.

David Clive is a weak man, trapped in an unhappy marriage, who takes refuge in Aghios Nikolaos and finally establishes his independence. So why is his wife so confident she can still get him back?

Storm clouds gather over Aghios Nikolaos as Erik Shepherd and his customers await a stranger. "We are all so vulnerable," says Captain Krasakis. "Conscience is every man's cross as shame is his crown of thorns."

"I know what you're thinking. Why all this fuss over a box of groceries? But it's more than that. It's important. You see, it's a touch of home."

Major and Mrs Edward Woolley live a perfectly ordered existence on Crete. But when the calm routine is broken, their life explodes into a violent reaction.

Like the goddess Aphrodite, Julie Johnson drifts into Aghios Nikolaos from the sea. And like Aphrodite she disrupts the lives of all she meets, particularly Ann and Erik Shepherd.

Nester Turton's life in Aghios Nikolaos comprises drinking and whoring, which he does in equal measure when funds permit. But when Nestor's past catches up with him the results are hilarious. For Nestor, it seems, has been dead for years …

No Cretan will set foot on the deserted island of Spinalonga. Philip and Leigh Mervish find the powerful atmosphere of this former leper colony perfect for a psychological experiment.

They talk Aghios Nikolaos' resident hippies, Kirsten and Mark, into helping them. But things don't go quite according to plan.

As the town celebrates the festival of St Nicholas, the tension becomes unbearable. Whether the Shepherd's marriage will survive is no longer the question. Death stalks the streets of Aghios Nikolaos and nothing will ever be the same again.