Rowie and Guy find themselves at loggerheads when they disagree over the diagnosis of a patient. Matt Sheridan, a notoriously hard working farmer, seeks medical help for excessive tiredness. Rowie believes it must be a symptom of an underlying physical illness but Guy is adamant Matt is suffering from stress. The animosity they show towards each other makes their colleagues at the RFDS feel very uncomfortable.
When Geoff has to make the exceptionally difficult choice between attending the birth of a premature baby and treating the victim of a snake bite, Jackie objects to his decision. However later on, she too is faced with the challenge of making a choice between life and death and begins to appreciate how it feels. Kate finds herself embroiled in local politics and faces an unexpected adversary.
Guy finds himself faced with a difficult moral dilemma. Steve continues to be infatuated by the local school teacher, Jane, and he is determined to make their relationship more serious. However, when she goes to see Guy it emerges she has a fatal illness. Guy is desperate to maintain his Hippocratic Oath but he doesn't want his friend Steve to be hurt.
Rowie finds the going tough when she has to decide between taking care of her ill father or living in Coopers Crossing. Things become increasingly stressful for her when she is forced to give treatment instructions over the radio to an injured navy recruit. Meanwhile, tensions between her and Guy continue to rise.
There is a major problem at the hospital when the aged washing machines break down and it emerges there is insufficient funds to buy replacement ones. When the staff goes on strike, it is up to Penny and an infamous union man to get new machines and get everyone back to work. Meanwhile Steve finds himself attracted to the Crossing's new teacher, Jane McLaughlin, and they waste no time in getting intimately acquainted.
Luke will do anything to impress his father Barry, however he takes things a little too far when a group of Japanese end up staying in the Crossing when their bus breaks down. Johnno ends up staying with Luke and Barry when the pub becomes too full and he is witness to the racist comments made by both Barry and Luke about the visitors. Later, when one of the Japanese tourists is stabbed, all evidence points to Luke. Meanwhile, one of the tourists is Toshi who has visited the Crossing before. Guy makes it clear that he and Jackie are together and this time he takes a shine to Penny.
The stress and pressure of arranging a high society wedding causes the bride to be, Emily, to collapse with exhaustion and be hospitalised. After being told that she needs absolute rest she has second thoughts about going through with the marriage and cancels it: her parents are devastated. Meanwhile, the lorry carrying the champagne supplies for the reception is involved in an accident on its way back from Broken Hill. One by one, the residents of the Crossing find themselves out at the scene of the incident and find themselves drinking their way through the goods. Also Guy has a rival in his affections for Jackie. In the end, it's all systems go back at the Crossing when the couple decide to go through with the wedding. However, by the time a celebration has been re-organised, it emerges the young couple have already eloped.
When Johnno learns that his father has died, he returns to Melbourne to collect his belongings. However he finds out more than he bargained for when he meets one of his father's old friends and hears the tales his father has been making up about him. He regrets that he never spent time with his father when he had the chance. Back in the Crossing, Guy and Steve attempt to do Johnno a favour by re-decorating his house but things don't go quite as planned and they end up burning it down. Penny has a difficult emergency and her own life is put at risk.
Geoff decides to expand his career options and break out into the world of cuisine. Meanwhile, everyone in the Crossing is nervous when convicted killer Matt Samuels is let out of prison after serving his time. When Kate is determined to drive him back home without anyone else, people become apprehensive about her safety.
Old familiar faces return to the Crossing when a party is held after Harry Cooper's diary is found. Things don't run quite as smoothly as planned though when George Baxter, who believes he owns a dairy as a consequence of what was written in the diary, crashes in to the bus carrying Chris. Tom makes it back from Africa and Emma arrives, with out Sam, but with two children in tow. When Geoff discovers that Baxter is not entitled to the diary, he decides to return ownership to the town. DJ returns from Greece and flirts with Penny, much to Steve's annoyance. It is announced that Chris will go back with Tom to Africa.
Geoff believes a man is suffering from mental illness when he jumps out in front of him, nude. However the man is evidently highly educated and astounds the locals with his understanding of flying, mechanics and medicine. At first they believe he must be some sort of alien but things become even more mysterious when the military arrives in the Crossing in search of him.