In the Cotswold village of Pagford grasping shop-keeper Howard Mollison, chairman of the local parish council, is keen to turn the village's popular but dilapidated community hall into a money-making spa, bringing protests from honest solicitor Barry Fairbrother. The council votes on the matter but with no clear majority. When Barry suddenly dies a vacancy occurs on the parish council. Howard urges his weak son Miles to stand, to the disgust of Miles' wife, sex shop owner Samantha, who detests her father-in-law. School-master Colin Wall, husband of Tess, Barry's ally ...

Barry is laid to rest but a blogger claiming to be his ghost posts online messages, exposing Simon as a thief and causing him to withdraw from the candidacy. The Mollisons are highly amused - until the ghost points out Miles's shortcomings and then Colin is attacked online, having rowed with his teen-aged stepson 'Fats' over the boy's sexual involvement with Krystle. Krystle herself has only fond recollections of Barry's kindness to her and her family. Samantha Mollison holds a dinner party for other candidates and their associates, including Kaye and married doctors ...

As Terri's attitude seems to improve Barry's widow Mary confides in Colin that she believes his civic duty killed her husband and warns Colin against accepting the vacancy. Colin reckons that he will lose and does so by one vote to Miles. This gives the Mollisons the deciding vote on the future of the community hall and Miles predictably backs his father though he defends Samantha against Shirley at Howard's birthday party, where Arf snaps Howard having sex with business partner Mo. The result ends up on the Ghost's website. Krystle is shocked to see Terri back on the...