There is a hole in the church accounts and the archdeacon is ready to pounce. Salvation appears to come in the form of a wealthy City banker who arrives at St Saviour's to join Alcoholics Anonymous.
However, Adam's mind is not on balancing the books - serial blagger Mick has arrived on the vicarage doorstep with a much bigger ask than the usual twenty quid, and Adam takes a huge risk.
Reverend Adam Smallbone is an Anglican vicar who is newly promoted from a small rural parish to the 'socially disunited' St Saviour in the Marshes in East London. Unable to turn anyone away from his new appointment Smallbone is faced with a collection of moral challenges as he balances the needs of genuine believers, people on the streets and drug addicts as well with the demands of social climbers using the church to get their children into the best schools.