 Things are not well at the Rumpole household. In his cups at a formal dinner, Rumpole tells an off-colour joke embarrassing Hilda and Mr. Justice Gwent-Evans. As a result,  she who must be obeyed  throws him out of their Gloucester Rd. flat. He initially moves into Chambers and soon has Sam Ballard after him for being in contravention of his tenancy. In the end, Phyllida Erskine-Brown invites Rumpole to move in with her and Claude, but as Rumpole seems to have no plans to leave, his welcome soon wears thin. In court, Rumpole defends Hugo Lutterworth who is charged with the attempted murder of his business partner. His claims of innocence are tempered by the fact that he was also having an affair with his business partner s wife.