在汤村温泉的“荒汤”边上，有一个男人——千秋，他已经连续八年，每个夜晚都在这里等待某个人。白天这里游客熙来攘往，但到了夜晚，当千秋伫立守候时，“荒汤”却变得格外寂静。一些因种种理由来到这里的人们，一边煮着温泉蛋，一边向千秋倾诉自己的境遇。面对这些性格鲜明的来访者，千秋时而给予劝解，时而伸手援助，有时也会毫不留情地吐槽——就这样，他逐一与他们产生了交集。
针对特殊性重要犯罪，华冈信一郎（阿部宽饰）凭借超越常人的敏感嗅觉常常成为解决案件的关键人物，人称sniffer。他与人情派的小向刑事（香川照之）组成搭档，通过现场留下的气味，揭露犯罪嫌疑人的真面目。
可怜的小女孩莎莉从出生那天起便被诊断患有先心，她凭借顽强的生命力度过了命运第一道难关，但此后的道路依然多舛。她的妈妈望月沙良（中山美穗 饰）揪心女儿的健康，为此不惜抛弃作为妻子的幸福，最终与丈夫佐伯武彦（吉田荣作 饰）离婚。女儿一天天长大，已经到了可以进行心脏移植的年龄。焦急的沙良走投无路，在浏览自杀网站时留言“如果你们要死，请把心脏给我的女儿”。虽然举止孟浪，但却真的有一个青年（堂本刚 饰）做出了回复。青年被诊断患有绝症，命不久矣的他似乎希望至少在最后能够帮助他人。 碍于器官买卖方面的法律规定，青年无法指定将心脏移植给莎莉。而这时他却提出和沙良结为夫妻，以父亲的身份完成生命的传递……
10 years after Martin Shaw turned the beloved Inspector Gently novels into a hit BBC One TV series, filming has begun on two final feature-length episodes. Back in action one last time will be Shaw as the eponymous inspector, who is tested like never before just as he winds down his career. In the first of two films - Gently Liberated - the inspector and his trusted allies Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) and Coles (Lisa McGrillis) are brought in to investigate a possible "miscarriage of justice". However, their final case in Gently and the New Age has the Met's new Special Investigations Squad boss Lister bringing in the inspector to investigate high levels of corruption within the force. Both of these mini-movies will be set in 1970, as the women's liberation movement and the rise of the Conservative Party bring clashing values to Britain.
