Lost in fog over the North Sea, low on fuel, with no working compass or radio, the pilot begins flying in small triangles, an odd flying pattern which would typically be detected on radar, with the intention of notifying an air traffic controller to send other aircraft to find him and "shepherd" (i.e. guide) him to Merriam St. George, the closest airstrip he is aware of.

Expecting the standard protocol of a fire truck, ambulance and other vehicles to be sent out immediately following an emergency landing, he instead encounters a car driven by an older flight lieutenant.

With the stores clerks being on Christmas leave, only the flight lieutenant and a 70-year-old civilian mess steward were on duty at the time of the plane landing.

Joe reveals that during the war, after the squadron had returned, John Kavanaugh would refuel his Mosquito and go out alone, searching for any crippled bombers to guide them home.

[1] On 14 December 2014, actor Nigel Anthony performed an original adaptation by Amber Barnfather of The Shepherd, with music and sound effects, at St Clement Danes, the Central Church of the Royal Air Force, in London.

[citation needed] On Christmas Eve 2016, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a new adaptation by Amber Barnfather for Between the Ears, performed by actor Luke Thompson.