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.

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.