One of the realities of living in the bush is making the best out of a bad situation, which Lill and Perry are learning to do fast. Their shed has been overrun with rats, Perry is working on rebuilding their dream house after it was destroyed by fire and Lill struggles to meet an urgent work deadline in the surrounding chaos. It seems the world is conspiring against her. A regular commitment to drive Peg Beecher on a couple of errands turns into a lengthy nightmare when Peg falls sick and needs to get to a hospital. Backa is down at the station to receive the brigade's new fire truck. He is worried about crew numbers and pushes fire control officer Bryce to do a Basic Firefighting Course so Lill and the other recruits are trained up before the bush fire danger period really hits. Uncle Jeff has seized control of Backa and Svettie's finances and insists that Svettie undergo a weekly inquisition on the books. She comes up with a plan to make money so she can get her family out of Jeff's clutches. For this she needs the help of friends Sharpie and Rebekah, but it's not without risk. Fifi attempts a reconciliation with Joey but he's still confused by her previous behaviour and turns her away. Alone in her room, Fifi contemplates life as a single mother and how it will affect her future.

Backa and Svettie each have a vision for their financial future. Unfortunately they are vastly different. And they are both about to make a deal with the devil. Svettie wants to invest in a marijuana crop with Sharpie but for now, she's keeping it a secret from her husband. Sharpie is less than thrilled with the prospect of going into business with an inexperienced mother of two and sets out to train her in the art of Basic Dope Growing. Things look set to fall apart when a local cop gets wind of what they're up to. Backa has his own training project to manage: Basic Fire Fighting for the new Lost River firies, but he has other things on his mind too. Backa's got that stuck feeling: he's living in a shop when he was born for the land. Taking the initiative to realise his dream, he pays a visit to Uncle Jeff to cut a deal over the family property - but he's keeping it a secret too. For Lill, the fire fighting course gives her a glimpse of the service she has joined and she's not sure if she's cut out for it. While Lill's away learning how to fight fires, Perry continues to rebuild his cave, the mud brick masterpiece. Patto is onsite to help with the job but it's not all smooth sailing. When Patto tries to teach Perry a few tips of the trade, tempers flare.

In the midst of the Lost River Christmas carols, Backa gets a call. A Section 44 has been declared in Shoalhaven and Backa is asked to join a strike team travelling down to help fight the fires. Despite Svettie's unease and Carter's misery at his father leaving, Backa decides to take a crew. It doesn't take long to find volunteers - Joey, Eris, Luisa and Kieran are eager to depart. Lill, realising that seventy-two hours away would give her a break from Perry, is suddenly ready to sign up too. As the Lost River fire brigade prepares for a long hot Christmas away, their families prepare to celebrate as best they can without their loved ones. Svettie can't shake off a feeling of impending doom and it's only made worse when Sharpie informs her their cash crop is dying from lack of rain. They devise a plan to get much needed water to their plantation, but it's one that involves 'borrowing' a big red fire truck. The Lost River brigade is keen for action, but when they arrive down south, they're told to stand by and wait. With a bit of time on their hands, it is the action off the fire ground that is the focus of attention, and there is a surprise moment of passion between two of our favourite firies. Some strategic planning pays off for Backa when the Lost River crew is able to save property and lives.

After battling huge fires down the south coast, the firies return to Lost River. They might have been away for Christmas but they're determined to make up for it when they get home. Joey is on a mission, looking for steady work. He finds a job as a deck hand with the owner of a fishing trawler. After a few nights out at sea the two men bond and Joey gets some invaluable advice from his new boss that may help to turn his life around. He decides to give it one more try with Fifi and goes to her with a definite plan. Meanwhile, Fifi's career in the Rural Fire Service is under threat when she discovers that Sharpie and Svettie 'borrowed' a fire truck to water their cash crop. Backa smells a rat and gives Fifi a grilling. Will she give up her father and Svettie? Lill rushes home to be with Perry and get their relationship back on track, however, she's still hurt and subconsciously pushes him away, and he knows it; especially once he realises his wife is spending more time with the fire brigade than with him. When Backa and Lill are rostered on to do some routine work down at the station, what is meant to be a 30-minute job turns into an eternity when they are called out to a motor vehicle accident. Perry is drunk and angry when Lill returns home. Life is getting complicated. Word is out that developers are coming over the rise with a plan to build a giant golf course and resort and everyone must face the fact that their town may be changed forever.

Backa dusts off his suit for a lunch meeting with the golf course developers. What Backa doesn’t know is that they need 40ha of Uncle Jeff’s property for their prospective resort.

Backa is surprised to find an old school friend, Sam O’Donnell in attendance. Sam is consulting as a lawyer for the group and has been enlisted to get Backa to convince Jeff to sell. As the two men reminisce over old days, Backa learns the real reason he’s being wined and dined. And there’s a sweetener on offer-they’ll buy the craft shop if he talks Jeff into selling. But Backa’s father’s ashes have been scattered on part of the 40ha and he’s left with a real dilemma. Svettie is thrilled, thinking they’ll be rid of the shop once and for all.

Lill decides to escape to a girls’ afternoon in the pool, but it’s no holiday. When the women start gossiping, Luisa learns that her affair with Mike was not a secret after all and she was not the only one-at least seven other women in town, including Ali! In the middle of the revelations, Lill’s business partner, KC, turns up with some bad news for Lill. KC has been offered a job on an older children’s novel that does not require illustrations and wants to put their partnership on hold. Lill’s career prospects seem suddenly shaky.

While Lill’s out, Perry and Patto decide to get the mud brick palace moving. Needing a few more hands, they’re off to the fire station to recruit Joey and Eris and the boys have their own afternoon getting stuck in the mud.

For Svettie, the little Russian housewife come drug dealer, life is about to take a drastic turn. An old business acquaintance, Kim Porter, turns up and convinces Svettie to invest in an aquaculture development. Believing she’s ultimately securing a future for her family, Svettie finds the confidence to revisit Val, the ‘Lender of Last Resort’, who gives her the $25,000 to invest in the venture.

Svettie feels like she’s finally on a winner. It’s only when Jeff unknowingly bursts her bubble, that Svettie realises her gamble was too great.

Lill and Perry have reached a standoff in their relationship. Not knowing where to turn, and going stir crazy in the shed, Perry suggests they take a bush walk. It begins reasonably well, but ends in a strange game of fantasy where Lill reveals more than she intended.

Meanwhile, Rebekah fears that Kieran may end up in prison after it becomes clear that he is starting to toughen up like his older brother Hank. Rebekah puts pressure on Sharpie to get Kieran away from Hank’s influence.

When news of a bar job in Queensland comes through, Rebekah finds herself having to face one of her biggest fears: saying goodbye to her son to save him.