The crew of the Vital Spark are entrusted with transporting some queer cargo including a double bed and a prize highland bull -and trouble is never too far away.

A spot of poaching lands Para Handy and his unfortunate crew in jail but also reunites Para with his childhood friend, Lady Catherine Ramsey.

In the aftermath of a storm Para Handy and his hapless crew rescue a drifting boat intending to claim salvage. But the abandoned vessel contains a very nasty surprise.

A spot of engine trouble sees the luckless crew marooned in a small island village, where Para tangles with the drunken town bully and indulges in a spot of matchmaking.

After reading his tea leaves, Dougie predicts doom and disaster for those on board the Vital Spark. Para dismisses his predictions until one by one the omens start coming true.

Threatened by the march of modern technology it takes all of Para's cunning, plus the help of a large beached whale, to keep him and his disaster prone crew in steady employment.