There is excitement at the approaching May Day Fair, but Mariette drops a bombshell and the tax man comes calling.

Ma is worried that Pop is working too hard and books a weekend in Margate, leaving Charley and Mariette to mind the kids. Margate, however, threatens to be a let-down.

The Larkins have visitors they would rather avoid. There is tension between Mariette and Charley, Alec Norman is up to his old dirty tricks and the truth about Tom Fisher’s plans emerge. Can Primrose save the day, and where has Mariette disappeared to?

The Larkins dash to the railway station and manage to stall Mariette's departure to France. They convince her to stay for a donkey derby/gymkhana and cocktail party in a few days.