Nonnatus House is alive with preparations for Christmas. Chummy is arranging a nativity play with the Cub Scouts, Jenny is faced with a difficult case, and a young girl's predicament leads to a big decision.

Jenny tries to help a battered wife, Doctor Turner finds himself overcome with requests for nitrous oxide from pregnant women throughout Poplar, while Trixie and Sister Evangelia help deliver a baby in very unsavory circumstances.

A friend of Chummy's, Reverend Applebee-Thornton, comes to stay at Nonnatus House and soon gets on everyone's nerves. Meanwhile, Jenny and Sister Evangelina deliver a baby with spina bifida, and Sister Bernadette plays matchmaker.

Nonnatus House prepares for the annual summer fête, but when a baby show is announced, the girls must find a host for the proceedings. Meanwhile, a patient of Jenny's puts her life at risk, and Sister Bernadette remains troubled.

Doctor Turner is concerned by the spread of tuberculosis in the community, Jenny tries to repair a father and daughter's fractured relationship, and Sister Bernadette receives devastating news.

Jenny encounters racism firsthand when assigned a Jamaican patient, while Cynthia has to deal with a cantankerous man suffering from diabetes. Sister Bernadette avoids Doctor Turner, and a familiar face returns to Nonnatus House.

Sister Bernadette is discharged from hospital, while a heavily pregnant Chummy resumes her midwifery duties. Jenny meets a new love interest, Fred's pregnant daughter pays him a visit, and Nonnatus House itself is under threat.