Based on the stories of G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown follows the crime-solving priest of St. Mary's Catholic Church in the fictional village of Kembleford in the early 1950s. The mild-mannered priest looks unremarkable, but his gentle nature and slightly crumpled look belie a razor-sharp wit and intellect. Father Brown is aided in his crime-solving activities by his parish secretary, Mrs. Bridgette McCarthy, who checks his facts and defends him from the frustration of his congregation and makes sure he eats.