Sees the arrival of a dashing and elegant stranger in Candleford. Rich, enterprising, worldly and without a wife, James Dowland is a successful businessman with a string of London hotels and has come to transform Candleford and bring it new prosperity. But not everyone welcomes his entrepreneurial efforts and it isn't long before he is sparring with the spirited yet suddenly flustered Dorcas.

"Sister Monica Joan goes missing at Christmas time leaving the nuns and nurses distraught. Trixie, having battled through her issues with alcohol, finds a new purpose in her keep fit classes. And could friendship blossom into something more for vicar Tom Hereward and Barbara? Meanwhile, a string of babies born with severe and devastating deformities, casts a dark shadow over the entire team at Nonnatus House as they struggle to understand why."--Container....