New lawyer Sarah McKillop arrives in Westside, and clashes with Elly over the rights of a pregnant girl with learning disabilities.

Claire and her friend Oliver, both upset by parents fighting at home, decide to run away.

As Bob takes Lionel Thompson to the police station he breaks free. Bob visits his mother in their bed-sit and tells her about the pills. The pills are coming from his mother Diane, and Lionel sold them to get money for food. Sarah and Rhonda wake up with terrible hangovers but a newfound friendship. Paul is amazed at how much money Rhonda spent on drink and worries about Sarah’s influence on her. George finds that Frank is wanted for stolen goods but is worried about his state of health. He calls for Elly to examine him. George wants Frank committed but Elly doesn’t agree. However when Newbridge agree that Frank should be committed Elly signs the forms and he is taken away. Diane takes an overdose when she can see no way out of her situation. Lionel finds her dead.

Bob struggles to know how to handle Lionels disclosure. When Helen Kennedy learns of the reason why Lionel left she involved the police. George and Paul take over and talk to Lionel before taking a statement from Peter. Bob however isn’t sure Lionel is telling the truth. Claire is worried that Elly doesn’t have any friends. Talk diverts to Claire’s friends and she asks Elly if she can invite a friend for dinner. Whilst Elly prepares a meal for 6 year olds, Claire has invited Sarah. Chris falls deeper for Leanne leading Lisa to tell him that she has thinks there is something weird about Leanne. Martha and Rhonda give Annie some advice when starts her periods.

Lionel confesses that his accusation towards Peter was a lie. He wanted to stay with Bob and thought his account would allow this to happen. Helen Kennedy has to accept she has made bad choices of judgement where Lionel and Peter are concerned. Annie changes her appearance to suit what she thinks men want, however soon decides she’s just going to be her: Chris attempts to get to know Leanne better but is frustrated when she has to leave for work. Leanne confesses to Chris that she is a sex worker, leading their short lived relationship to come to an end. Lisa tells Chris she tried to tell him but couldn’t. Bob says goodbye to Lionel who goes to stay in a children’s home.

Bob has dinner with Jackie and her husband. During which a business contact pushes Bob’s views to the limit. However it only seems to attract Jackie to him further. George and Paul are later called to the house when Jackie and have a heated argument. George is unhappy to learn that Paul is considering leaving Westside. But Paul feels he and Rhonda may never progress and achieve their dreams on his wage. Sarah gets to know Colin and he mistakes his friendly gestures for flirtation. Jackie runs to Bobs house after an argument with Craig but he turns down her advances.

Jackie finds out she’s pregnant and continues to confide in Bob. Elly puts two and two together and realised there is an attraction between Bob and Jackie. She tells Bob he should step back from Jackie on a professional level. Singer Sandra Watson AKA Casey Watts returns to town but is undercover and asks Lisa, Chris and Ernie to hide her from her manager. Rhonda starts teaching English to Italian man Enzo. However he strikes up a relationship with Ernie’s sister Lilian. Jackie arrives at Bob’s house and asks if she can stay. She says they could spend the night together with no one knowing; Bob says no.

Bob tries to turn some of the girls he is working with into a basketball team. Rhonda agrees to be their coach but is a little surprised but their lacklustre attitude. Bob tries to introduce one of his new probationers Mai, into the team however she is met with a frosty reception due to her ethnicity. Elly looks after a young boy Danny when his Mum has to have an operation. She doesn’t trust older brother Mario to look after Danny as he’s just been released from prison. Bob asks Ernie if he’ll give Mario a job at Patchetts in order for him to get his life back on tracks. However when Mario agrees to take the job his friend Barry asks him to join him in an armed robbery. Chris is cleaning the police station for some extra money when a woman arrives and demands her lock her up as she’s going to kill her partner. Chris ends up getting locked in the cell with her.

Mario receives bad comments from locals at the pub. He loses his temper and smashes a crate full of glasses before walking out. Bob attempts to talk him around however he heads out on the job with Barry. Danny is shot during the crossfire and Mario is taken back into custody. The Wildcats learn more about Mai’s past and show a better understanding as they play and win their first game. George worries that the police station may be closed due to cuts in the area.

Claire tells Bob she realises Elly doesn’t like David and confesses she doesn’t either at the moment. David returns from his holiday full of gifts for Claire which he asks Elly to pass on for him. George decides to hand in his resignation when he learns the police station is potentially being sold. Martha and Rhonda round up some support to keep the police station open. Sarah represents a man who loses custody and access to his children. He takes a man hostage at a petrol station, dousing him in petrol and threatening to set light to them. George and Paul arrives on the scene and George swaps places with the hostage. George manages to talk him down and becomes a local hero. It is announced the police station will remain open. David realises it’s a word Elly would have used in Claire’s earshot and reprimands Elly for it. Elly and David attempt to talk however it ends in an argument and Claire echos Elly’s sentiment when she tells him to leave.

Lisa’s Mum Margaret welcomes her boyfriend Sam Bulmer back home; her first relationship since Lisa’s Dad died. George tells Martha that he arrested Sam Bulmer for sexual assault of a 15 year old girl some years ago. The case only closed because the girl changed her story on the witness stand as her parents wished to bury the incident. Claire is still upset with David and refuses to go to the beach with him unless Elly joins them. Elly reluctantly agrees. The family day out to a beach which holds romantic memories for Elly and David brings feelings back for Elly and she asks David to stay the night. He rejects her advances and leaves. Sam goes to the pub and makes it clear to Ernie that he cheated on Margaret several times whilst he was away. Sam then reprimands Lisa, accusing her of flirting with Chris and acting like a tart. Whilst Margaret is at work, Sam goes into Lisa’s bedroom and tries to touch her.

Lisa is still staying at the pub and doing everything she can to avoid going home and seeing Margaret. Bob is concerned when a homeless pregnant teen turns up at the rectory and runs off before he can find her some accommodation. Bob later finds her and delivers her baby. David plans to take Claire away for the weekend with Miki. Martha encourages Elly to meet Miki before the weekend. Elly invites David and Miki to dinner and spends time planning the perfect meal. Chris goes on strike causing tension between he and Ernie. Lisa tells them they are like a second family to her and she wishes they would stop arguing and appreciate eachother. David and Miki have dinner with Elly and Claire. The evening goes well however the tension is evident. David shows little awareness of how Elly feels and tells her he thinks Miki is the one for him. Claire tells Elly that she doesn’t like Miki.

George tells Lisa that her dog Tipsy has been biting people and will be out down if she’s not looked after better. Lisa visits Margaret and asks her to look after Tipsy but Margaret says she can’t. Lisa takes Tipsy to the police station and is devastated as she hands Tipsy over. Later on Ernie tells Lisa that Tipsy can stay at the pub. Claire doesn’t want to go away with David and Miki for the weekend. Elly calls on David for help and he tries to persuade Claire to change her mind. David tells Miki he is going to cancel their weekend and will be spending the weekend with Claire by himself. Elly intervenes and tells Claire she has to go and tells David they can’t keep allowing Claire to run their love lives. Bob and Sarah help open a homeless shelter. Martha arrives at Elly’s with a pizza, a bottle of wine and a deck of cards to stop her from feeling lonely.

Lisa tells Margaret she has been thinking of moving back home. Margaret says it would be awkward as she has asked Sam to come back. Lisa can’t believe Margaret is taking him back after what he did to her. The residents of Westside throw Lisa a surprise birthday party. Bob ensures Elly comes out to stop her from staying at home missing Claire. Annie stays with Paul and Rhonda and after an argument runs to the church where someone grabs her in the graveyard. Paul and George find no one there. Bob explains to Rhonda that when Annie was three years old she was left alone by her parents and kidnapped. The trauma of that incident remains. Margaret arrives at Lisa’s party, drunk and causes a scene. She tells Bob and Ernie Sam has refused to come back to her and then tells Lisa she has ruined her life and tries to hit her. Ernie stops her and takes her away.

Annie is convinced The Shadow Man has Rhonda and takes Paul to the graveyard. They find Rhonda’s shoe. Rhonda wakes up with a bad head injury and tries to stay calm to win her abductors trust. George and Paul arrive at the scene and try to defuse the situation. Sam arrives back at Margaret’s. She asks him why he changed his mind about coming back. He says he missed her and will put up with any conditions she enforces. Lisa can’t believe Margaret has allowed Sam back into the house. She tells Sam that Margaret may have believed his act but she hasn’t. Elly films the documentary for Miki. They share a drink afterwards and Miki surprises Elly by downplaying her feelings for David and their relationship. As night draws in, Rhonda has earned her abductors trust. He speaks about the voices in his head and she does her best to get him to walk out of the shed with her.

Rhonda is in hospital in a critical condition. Westside waits for news of her condition as Paul keeps a bedside vigil. The pressure on her heart is too much and Rhonda suffers a heart attack and dies. The police officer who shot Rhonda finds solace in George who helps keep him occupied and fights off Miki when she turns up at the station with a TV crew. George gives an interview in his place but ends up forcing Miki out of the station when she manipulates his responses. Sarah and Annie struggle the most to come to terms with Rhonda’s death. However they visit Paul at home and offer to cook and clean but are turned away by Paul who says he wants to be alone. Paul trashes his house and then takes his gun in his hand.

Bob finds Paul. He’s asleep clutching his gun and tells Bob he wanted to end his life last night. Sarah is grieving for Rhonda and doesn’t understand how the officer who shot her has been allowed to return to work so soon. She finds out he was involved in a siege just three months ago and is worried the same thing will happen again. He later resigns and Sarah explains to George her feelings towards losing Rhonda. Annie loses BP; the dog she has befriended. Paul helps her find him and reaches him from an overflowing drain in front of the media crews who have gathered to capture the story. Miki visits Elly and Claire who are waiting for David to collect Claire for their weekend away. David doesn’t turn up, and Miki learns from Claire that David plans to propose to her. Miki shares with Elly that her feelings for David may not be reciprocated.

Ernie is experiencing pain in his abdomen, he asks Martha to take a look. Abby overhears the consultation and is convinced that Martha and Ernie are having an affair. Chris and Megan go on a camping trip but find themselves in danger when a snake crawls into Chris's sleeping bag. Bob arrives back in Westside a changed man. He tells Harley he's had a good chat with Jack and things really going to change. He goes to see Elly and they arrange dinner. Bob is all ready to tell Elly he loves her but she scuppers his plans by announcing that she is not interested in men at the moment. Sonny annoys Lisa by not reading one of her articles, things escalate into a row and Sonny screams that he can't read.