Two contrasting visions of life: on the one hand, the “rock” and adventurous of the brave Livia, cellist without maternal instinct; on the other hand, the reassuring routine of his sister Tina, shy urban vigilant with an ardent desire for maternity.

After the closure of their shipyard in Northern Spain, a few former workers: Santa, José, Lino, Amador, Sergei and Reina keep in touch. They meet mainly at a bar owned by their former colleague Rico. Santa is the most superficially confident and the unofficial leader of the group. A court case hangs over him relating to a shipyard lamp he smashed during protest against the closure. José is bitter that his wife, Ana, is employed when he is not. The gap between them is widening and he is fearful that she will leave him for a co-worker. Despite arthritic legs, Ana endures night shifts at a fish factory and thinks her looks are now lost. Not everyone seems to agree including her boss. Lino, an aging family man doggedly pursuing positions beyond his qualifications. The oldest member of the group, Amador, has degenerated into alcoholism after being abandoned by his wife; maintaining an increasingly transparent pretense that his wife will soon return from holiday.

Doc Martin tells the tale of Martin Clunes’ character in the film, in the months leading up to the Saving Grace story. Martin Bamford is a heart-broken London obstetrician, in a jealous rage after he finds out that his wife has been sleeping with three of his buddies. He escapes to a small Cornish fishing village, which he grows surprisingly attached to, and is extremely reluctant to return with his cheating wife when she comes to pick him up. Although he has only been looking for a week’s R & R, Dr Bamford stumbles across a network of secrets in the village of Port Isaac, and finds himself embroiled in the most exciting scandal the village has seen for centuries.