Patients come to Bridbury hospital from near and far. The imposing building has its own emergency ward where nurse Odette Cook spends most of her time applying plasters and handing out pills. She also prepares food for the patients every evening in the large kitchen. She spends extra time preparing the chief physician’s, Dr. Slifford’s meal, who studied in Cambridge and can recognise almost every symptom. The doctor makes all the medicines, creams and pills himself in his own apothecary.  He and Odette run the hospital with a firm hand.

But at Christmas everything changes. Then the waiting room where the patients are received is seasonally decorated by Ismael Wickentree from the Nutcracker Christmas shop, there’s one of Pat Hackney’s Christmas trees at the door from Pat’s X-mas Trees and Odette gives each patient a present. Financed from Mayor Redbridge’s fund for the poor. And at midnight when the singing of Miss Lewisham’s primary school children’s choir drifts through the town from Father Green’s church, sister Odette opens the windows. For once the icy cold is allowed inside and she joins in the singing, while the patients who are not too ill hum touchingly along.