Due to yet another spell backfiring,catweazle finds himself clinging to the local church spire.In an attempt to go ''back'' to his own time he ends up going sideways instead.The local vicar by speaking a few words of latin which catweazle could relate to convinces him to come down from the spire and see his latin books.
While in his home surrounded by cats named after famous hollywood celebritities of the 40s/50s catweazle discovers the telephone"the telling bone'',fascinated by it and demanding to ''speak to the spirits'' he causes more chaos.
Meanwhile farmhand sam has a new car which is having problems but finally gets going.The vicar phones hexwood farm(having discovered that's where catweazle had come from) and listening into the phonecall carrott realises thats where catweazle is and asks sam to take him to the vicarage.His mother sees them on the way and decides she wants to go too despite being somewhat dottery.Falling asleep in the car as they arrive at the vicarage,carrott sees this as an opportunity for sam to dissapear to the local pub while he tries to help rescue catweazle.Meanwhile his mother wakes up so carrott tells her sam is at the vicarage to talk about an arrangement,thinking he meant a marriage without her knowing sam's mother goes to the vicarage and knocks on the door.While this is happening carrot goes round the side of the house and sees catweazle inside and helps him outside of a side window - a scene particuarly funny when he tries to explain to catweazle how to open the window from the inside.
Having been left in the room alone while the vicar was at the front door talking to sam's mother he realises his opportunity to steal the ''telling bone'' which he does so by cutting the chord with his witch knife - ''adamcos''.