When a former vicar, Lewis Fearns (Roy Herrick), arrives at Whitecross and reveals his occupation, community life is disrupted. Charles becomes worried that the distractions caused by Lewis may be very damaging given the hard work that is required to sustain the settlement. Is there a place for God and a return to religion in the new order of things..?

When Sally becomes pregnant by Alan, Charles is overjoyed, thinking this will encourage a baby boom at Whitecross. Sally wants to live with Alan as his wife but he has other ideas. As the situation becomes more tense, Charles crosses swords with Melanie, Ruth and even Pet...

There is a much excitement when a balloon passes over Whitecross. However, when the balloon comes down and its occupant is found dead a mystery is left behind. The man is discovered to be a Norwegian and he has in his possession various items that suggests he has been mapping the nation's settlements. When Melanie and Alan meet one of the ballonist's acquaintances, Seth, they learn that the man had been travelling with his daughter Agnes. When Agnes eventually arrives at Whitecross things will never be the same again for our survivors...

Charles, Hubert and Jenny are reunited with Agnes, who has become separated from Greg. They visit the Walter's family farm, where Greg and Agnes met Tom Walter and his family some months ago. However, the farm is deserted as Tom' mother, Edith, and her sons Steve and Owen were driven from it, when Tom was away, by former butcher Brod, to a camp by a railway line. Charles, Jenny, Agnes and Hubert are captured and taken there as well. Brod has special plans for Jenny and sees Charles as a threat to his position...

Charles returns to the Walter's farm where he is reunited with a relieved Jenny and Agnes. Hubert discovers that the cows have brucellosis and tends to them whilst Jenny and Charles head up river to locate a vet called Bill Sheridan. They meet Bill and his partner Alice and the following day Charles and Bill head back to the farm. Before they return to Jenny and Alice they see a car travelling along a road. Charles jumps to the conclusion that Greg could have been the driver. Jenny is excited when she hears the news and sets off with Bill to locate him. Before they leave they all agree to rendezvous at Highley train station for what Charles hopes will be market day...

Charles, Jenny and their ever growing party are heading North to Scotland, when they receive a message to meet Greg at a place called Felbridge. Jenny thinks it will be another wild goose chase. They later discover that Agnes has devised their reunion and that she plans to set up a new government for the nation at Felbridge under Greg's name. However, Greg is curiously absent from the proceedings...

Charles, Jenny, Hubert and Alec finally arrive in Scotland and make for a hydro-electric power station to switch on the power. However they do not count on the intervention of a nationalistic Scotsman who sees their efforts as stealing Scottish electricity for England. Nor do they realise how far Sam will go to prevent the return of power to the nation...