Reverend Bob Brown jogs to Dr Elly Fielding’s house for breakfast. Elly is a bag of nerves as her daughter Claire is about to start her first day at school. Publican Ernie Patchett opens his pub, Patchetts Pacific, for a busy day in preparation for the local table tennis competition. Ernie’s son Chris heads off to his building job. Sergeant George Sullivan and Constable Paul Berry are at the scene of an accident, local lad Craig Wilson has been killed by a train as he graphitized the wall of the rail track. He was protesting to save the local trees. Local legal aid Bernie Withers takes on Craig’s cause and sits himself on a tree – refusing to move. Paul’s wife, Rhonda arrives from their hometown of Ballina. Barmaid Lisa Bennett is nervous about represent Patchetts Pacific in the table tennis match. Jimmy asks Bob to take over the church when he passes on. When he returns to give Jimmy his answer, he finds him dead in one of the church pews.

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

Sarah struggles to settle into life in Westside. Martha and Ernie are at odds after he has a condom machine installed in the pub.

Ernie's sister recovers from a mugging, but the sentence that her attacker gets angers Ernie and Chris. Amanda is getting to clingy to David and he tells Elly he wants to stay with her to give Amanda the hint. Elly refuses his plea as Claire is having problems at school due to the extravagances David has been treating her to. David is noticeably put out of place when Bob arrives in the morning for breakfast and is favourably more popular with Elly and Claire. Sarah continues to spark bad feeling and Ernie bars her from Patchetts Pacific. Elly tells David she no longer wants him in the house. When David breaks the news to Claire she and Oliver run away.

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.

Diane is pronounced dead leaving Lionel in the hands of social care. Bob allows him to stay at the rectory. Martha and Rhonda’s attempts at hosting self defence classes are thwarted when Helen Kennedy, of the Parish Council, won’t allow them to use the church hall. Helen also objects to Bob taking in Lionel due to his involvement with the drugs at school. Sarah represents Brian, an actor who sustains an injury at a local shop. However Elly finds no medical evidence of injury and refuses to provide a sick certificate. Sarah feels that Elly is allowing her personal feelings about her prevent her from giving Brian and sick certificate. Elly informs Brian it wouldn’t make a difference who is lawyer is as she does not believe he has an injury. Elly catches Brian performing at the local shopping mall and takes Sarah to see him. Chris meets Leanne and takes her to lunch, she returns the favour with an expensive champagne lunch the next day.

Bob enrols Lionel back in to school. However on his first day he holds a knife up to the two boys he gave drugs to when they make a comment about his Mum. Bob opens up about his own past where he made a gun to protect himself, which led to his friend being hurt. Helen Kennedy holds a meeting with the Parish Council who order Bob to have Lionel move out of the house within two weeks. Youth worker and Bob’s friend Peter Lewis offers to take in Lionel to live with his family. Lisa undertakes work experience at an upmarket restaurant and attempts to flirt with the head chef Geoffrey. Meanwhile Chris receives a red rose from Leanne. Lisa witnesses Leanne having dinner with two separate men over two nights whilst she is working at the restaurant. Rhonda has to find someone else to babysit Claire when Paul wants to take her out to dinner. Rhonda asks Sarah which doesn’t go very well when Sarah and Claire do not get on very well.

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.

George meets up with his former police colleague Nev Cook. Nev joins Paul when he attends a domestic incident close by. Nev buys some drinks from the pub before heading to celebrate his retirement. He crashes into a baby in its pram before driving away. The residents of Westside try to save the babies life whilst trying to find the culprit. Nev confesses to George it was he who was driving and asks that he help him out. The conflict causes George to turn to alcohol. Sarah and Lisa help Queenie, a homeless resident of Westside, when the Ernie removes the park bench from outside the pub she has slept on for a while. Meanwhile Elly begins to feel torn over being a working mother.

Sarah and Lisa continue to help Queenie. She speaks about her four children and how she doesn’t hear from any of them anymore. For that reason she doesn’t want a house as there’s no point with no one in it. Sarah and Lisa find her sheltered accommodation which Queenie sabotages. The mayor later comes to her rescue and buys her a new bench which resides outside Patchetts Pacific. Paul works out that Nev was the driver responsible for the hit and run. He confronts Nev who tells him he converted for George early in his career when George was drunk on the job and a child died. When the baby from the hit and run passes away, George tells Nev he can’t cover for him any longer. Ernie hosts dinner for the Mayor in order for Pachetts Pacific to host the council lunches. George tells Martha how important she is to him.

Chris is annoyed when he is overlooked for the lifeguard job, by Colin, someone who evidentially can’t swim and who the boss has a vested interest in. Lisa advises Colin to talk to Sarah about the unhealthy advances from his boss. When Colin steps down, Chris is given the job. Bob is interviewed by Jackie, a sociology student. He takes a phonecall from a young mother who is threatening to kill both herself and the baby after she has been evicted by her landlord. With the help of Jackie, Bob and George find her in time. Bob walks Jackie home and there is clearly and attraction between them. Paul and Rhonda have their hopes dashed when they attend an auction. They discuss whether moving out of the city is a better option for them.

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.