The central character is Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope. Who is obsessive about her work and driven by her own demons. If she's lonely she doesn't show it and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage. Her trusted and long suffering colleague is Sergeant Joe Ashworth. Together they approach every new case with unparalleled gusto and professionalism.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Charlie Hillian is killed on the night of his retirement party. Hillian was at one time a senior officer in Oxford and was in fact Morse's boss. He was also writing a book about his most memorable cases, including one about the unsolved death of an 8-year-old girl some 18 years ago. The suspect in that case, Frederick Redpath, was at Hillian's house the day he died and that chapter from the manuscript is missing. There are other suspects however, including Hillian's ghost writer who will now receive all of the book's royalties; a handyman who was working on the property; and Redpath's daughter, who knew the little girl who was killed all those years before. Morse comes into conflict with with a colleague DCI Dawson, who was one of Hillian's protégés, as they again look into the little girl's death.

根据简·奥斯丁同名小说《劝导》改编而成。沃尔特家的二小姐安妮（Sally Hawkins饰）温柔娴静，知书达理，是一位德才兼备的好姑娘，可年近28的她至今还待字闺中——8年前，安妮和情郎温特沃斯（Rupert Penry-Jones饰）订下婚约，却最终因长辈拉塞尔夫人（Alice Krige饰）的“劝导”而选择和对方分手。虽然安妮旋即萌生悔意，但受了伤的温特沃斯早已远走他乡，杳无音讯。这段往事给安妮心口划上一道永难愈合的口子，此后，她的心扉再未向他人打开。8年后，温特沃斯衣锦还乡，一举一动都透出绅士魅力，完全不复昔日的穷酸样，已成为富家女竞相追逐的对象，他对安妮的态度冷淡无比；安妮表面虽然镇定自若，在点滴接触中却不自禁地加深了对温特沃斯的无限爱慕之情，深知昔情难追的她也因此在内心深处备受煎熬……

“当生活打倒你的时候，请站起来。"影片讲述了上世纪70年女主人公Funny Cow的历经坎坷保守偏见和打击，励志成为一名喜剧脱口秀演员的故事。