Lovejoy and Jane have the job of fitting out a smart new restaurant being opened by Major Linden Walker, an old army friend of Tinker's. With the help of a former prison officer (one he knew on the inside) Lovejoy delivers the goods, only to find he has been gulled. Linden and Tinker's cabaret act Crime and Punishment makes its first and last appearance.

Amanda Peagram, a local landowner's daughter, is engaged to Roger Hall, and Lovejoy (on the instructions of Amanda's father) is furnishing a house with antiques for the couple. Unhappily, Amanda is not impressed, while Roger continues to play the field. At the wedding, Lovejoy overhears a row between Roger and Amanda's father and later finds Roger's body hidden in a suit of armour... but the body vanishes and nobody believes him. After the wedding, Roger is treated as a missing person. Lovejoy insists Roger is dead, but he can't produce the body - so he decides to investigate the murder and solve the mystery.

A band called The Hothouse Flowers is due to appear at a local charity gig, and their manager is an old friend of Tinker's. Before going away with Victoria on a little trip, Lovejoy gets Jane to agree to take in the Flowers. Then, though, the organizer of the planned gig runs off with the money. One of the band decides to sell his valuable antique harp to make good some of the shortfall, but before Lovejoy can arrrange the sale the harp also disappears.Lovejoy works his way up to proposing to Victoria, but she turns him down and goes back to South America.

A family struggling to pay death duties needs Lovejoy's help to raise the wind. Meanwhile, Beau Whittaker, working in a local parish church, finds a valuable old flag dating from the American War of Independence hidden behind a monument. A fierce battle quickly breaks out over the question of who is now the flag's true owner.

Charlotte's former lover arrives from New York and invites her to live with him in Paris, but she turns him down.A forger cons Charlie Gimbert into buying some fake porcelain, but Lovejoy catches up with him. In doing so, he discovers a good artist.

The police set up Tinker, so that they can get a favour from Lovejoy. They want him to check out an up-market pawnbroker who is suspected of receiving antiques stolen overseas.