To the astonishment of newcomers Polly and Ben, the TARDIS arrives on the coast of seventeenth-century Cornwall. Here, pirates led by Captain Samuel Pike (Michael Godfrey) are searching for a hidden treasure, while a smuggling ring masterminded by the local Squire (Paul Whitsun-Jones) is trying to offload contraband.

The Doctor is kidnapped by Pike's men after inadvertently learning, from churchwarden Joseph Longfoot (Terence de Marney), who is subsequently murdered, a cryptic rhyme which holds the key to the treasure's whereabouts. Although he manages to escape, the Doctor is eventually forced to tell Pike the rhyme's meaning - it refers to names on tombstones in the church crypt - and the treasure is uncovered. At this point, however, the militia arrive, having been summoned by Revenue Officer Josiah Blake (John Ringham).

A fight ensues in which Pike and many of his men are killed and the rest taken prisoner. The Doctor and his companions, meanwhile, slip back to the TARDIS.

_{Synopsis from Doctor Who: The First Doctor Handbook by David J. Howe, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker, reprinted with permission; further reproduction is not permitted. Available from Telos}