At TriLochan Hospital in northwest Scotland, Mr Tarek Al-Hourani begins his first day as a consultant rural surgeon, determined to modernise the unit and win a new system that could transform rural surgery. But his arrival stirs old tensions. Effie Mackay, once an international shotput champion and now the hospital’s domestic supervisor, blames him for the injury that ended her career. Their uneasy history resurfaces as Effie develops a new surgical problem – and her campaign to discredit him intensifies. When a crisis strikes on the day of his career-defining presentation, Effie is forced to confront her fears and the surgeon his moral responsibility.