With Nora out of the picture, Penny takes back her old job but must deal with the multiple messes Nora left. Hayley's parents visit the Knights after her engagement to Ajax, and Charlie finds a book she wrote in college.

Now under investigation for election tampering, Meryl hires Penny's sharp-tongued sister, Celia, as her lawyer. Hugh comes to the aid of woman who doesn't speak English, and he is forced to perform a risky surgery.

Harriet's mother, Dinah, arrives in Whyhope and ingratiates herself with the Knights, but when she gets lost with Eliza on a walk in the outback, Hugh is forced to bring Penny's fiancé, Jarrod, along to help. Meryl comes up with a daring plan to win reelection to the local council.

Hugh's friends try to help him after his embarrassing outburst at his birthday party, while Meryl's health suffers after losing all her allies. Hayley continues her pole-dancing classes, despite Ajax's wishes, but tensions explode when she starts working at the new bar.

As Penny's relationship with Toke intensifies, Hugh becomes increasingly jealous and gives Penny an ultimatum. After facing trouble at work, Charlie makes an enemy of her former boss and considers a career as a full-time writer.

As Hugh prepares for the operation to donate his kidney to his father, Jim finds it difficult receiving extra attention from the family. Hugh's estranged wife, Harriet, unexpectedly arrives from America, and Ajax tries to win Hayley back.

Hugh asks Dinah to stay in Whyhope despite Meryl's wishes, while Ajax and Hayley plan to move out of the Knight homestead. Before Penny and Jarrod fly away for their honeymoon, Jarrod asks Hugh to help with preemployment drug-testing at the mine.

Hugh and Betty scheme a way to get rid of Nora, Penny's rude and incompetent replacement, without going to the medical board. Hayley feels guilty about taking her relationship with Ajax to the next level.

Tensions in the Knight family run high as the competition between Ajax and Meryl heats up, and Matt feels guilty about letting Charlie stay. Penny and Jarrod decide to speed up their engagement, but their wedding day is threatened by a possible infectious-disease outbreak at the hospital.

Hugh's misjudgment has left him without a cardiac clinic, without a payout, and without a job, and not even Sydney will take him back. Penny offers to mentor Tara as her new supervisor, and Meryl's back-alley dealings hit a snag.