 Helen, James, Tristan and Sigfried have a wonderful lunch at swank French restaurant where Tristan meets Julia Tavener. He becomes desperate to meet her and sees his chance when James is called out to treat the Tavener s dog. Mrs. Pumphrey visits the surgery with Tricki Woo and also offers Tristan help and advice on his pursuit of Julia. Not surprisingly, their date doesn t quite go as planned but Tristan suddenly feels trapped by her constant attention. James visits the Bellerbys to treat a sick cow and he agrees to give them a lift to the village as they are all attending a performance of Handel s Messiah. James becomes a bit concerned however when the family s lunch seems to drag on and on and the time for the performance grows ever nearer. James also has to treat Tim Alton s prize pig who has gone off her feed. He also faces a dilemma when Mrs. Tompkins budgie dies in his care. His solution presents unanticipated results.