Country girl Tara Webster travels to Sydney to audition for the prestigious National Academy of Dance. It's a tumultuous week as she realises her dream is going to be a lot more difficult than she thought.

Tara arrives at the Academy excited about the year ahead. As she struggles to fit in, she learns the hard way to respect her teachers and find true friends.

Tara's crush on Ethan threatens her friendship with Kat; Abigail wins a decisive victory; Christian finds himself in police custody and, with nowhere else to go, has to accept his place at the Academy.

Tara is frustrated when Christian refuses to participate in trust exercises, Kat feels betrayed by Tara's secret crush on Ethan, and Sammy finds himself tied to Abigail for 24 hours.

Sammy is forced to choose between dance and his father when compulsory Saturday ballet classes clash with his Synagogue services; and Christian struggles to accept the rules of the Academy.

Christian shows Ethan some real Australian street hip-hop. Meanwhile, Tara is the self-proclaimed expert on crushes and is happy to educate Kat in every aspect of the mysterious art form.

Pressure is building at the Academy as the students prepare for exam week.

It's Open Week at the Academy when parents watch their children in a series of demonstration classes.