The car accident has thrown everyone off balance. Kate is obsessed with proving Riley survived, Grace tries to find the mystery person who rescued her, and Patrick mistakenly feels he's invincible. Meanwhile, Ingrid reveals a dark secret that she's on the run from her abusive husband, and the girls use old-world technology to repair the windmill, which broke and fell during the recent flood.

Grace and Marcus are trapped at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft, and help needs to arrive before Grace develops severe hypothermia. Kate helps Father Dan by caring for a cantankerous elderly woman who has some useful advice for grieving Kate. Tayler is nervous about taking her relationship with Patrick to the next level, and Phil goes to extreme lengths to woo back Moira.

Stevie's wild-at-heart former rodeo mate, Sharon, visits Drovers Run and turns everyone's lives upside down. Meanwhile, Marcus sacrifices his chances in a major horse endurance race to save Ingrid from an abusive rider. Kate is feeling increasingly dissatisfied with her life and throws herself into her new role as overseer to try and compensate.

Kate is finishing her pipe project when she comes across a young runaway, Jamie, broken down on the stock route. She tries to talk to him, but he runs, stealing her car. Eventually, Kate catches Jamie. The incident has Kate questioning her true calling, and she realises she must leave Drovers Run. Meanwhile, Patrick and Tayler struggle to move forward in their relationship.

There seems to be an intruder haunting Drovers and Moira is spooked by strange noises in the night. Eventually, they discover the culprit: a grubby, nine-year-old girl called Lily. Moira is suspicious, and when her dad, Frank, picks her up, he is clearly hiding something. Meanwhile, Moira discovers that things are going badly for Phil at the truck stop, and she develops a mysterious, itching rash.

Alex returns from Argentina and his reunion with Stevie begins blissfully. Moira has helped her set up a romantic picnic spot for their first supper together since the honeymoon. On the way back, the wind breaks off a large tree branch. Alex pushes Stevie to safety, but the branch comes crashing down. It traps him, injuring Alex terribly.

Stevie decides to leave Drovers Run and move to Killarney to secure her son's future, but in the wake of the tragedy, she makes a series of rash management decisions that do just the opposite. Meanwhile, the girls at Drovers have started a baby name sweep for Wombat. Tayler questions Patrick's commitment to their relationship, while Grace decides not to pursue one with Marcus.

Jaz returns to Drovers Run and clashes with Grace, leaving Regan stuck playing the role of peacemaker. Stevie, however, is glad to see Jaz and feels their old tensions are behind them. Jaz volunteers to help out around the farm but discovers she's picked up the wrong bag at the bus stop. Meanwhile, Ben introduces himself as Stevie's cousin, and Patrick fears Tayler has baby fever.

The girls of Drovers Run band together with the local community to stop a massive dam being built upstream. When Olympic-hopeful Jaz is made the face of the campaign, she finds herself blackmailed by pro-dam farmer Terri Barker, who threatens to reveal an explosive secret from her past. Meanwhile, Patrick's brief trial, as he is a new overseer on Killarney, ends in disaster.

Tayler and Patrick's happy domesticity is disrupted when Tayler's mother, Jane, returns. Jane wants to set the record straight with her daughter about why she left, but Tayler is wary. Meanwhile, baby Xander has not smiled yet, and it's worrying Stevie immensely. When Xander does smile for everyone in the house except Stevie, the women decide to keep it a secret.

Grace, Jaz, Marcus, and Frank head off to the city to confront the Minister responsible for a dam proposal that will take away their water. Meanwhile, Phil gives Moira a personal and surprising gift. It's also Stevie and Alex's first wedding anniversary, but Stevie wants to forget about it. Moira dresses Xander in pink to help Stevie with her grieving. Stevie leads the others in a toast to Alex.

Jaz is taken aback when Lily reveals her dad, Frank, is talking about proposing to her. Jaz needs to decide how to deal with the situation. Frank's hopes for a stable family life take a pounding when he learns that his ex-wife has a new job in Queensland and intends to take Lily with her. Meanwhile, Marcus and Grace are still searching to dig up some dirt on Ayres.

Marcus has been looking for a new overseer for weeks, but given his constant clashing with Ben, neither of them can accept that Ben is right for the job. The district Yard Dog trials are fast approaching when Ben is befriended by a border collie. Marcus, however, is unaware of this and denies knowing anything about the dog to its irate owner, Trevor, causing more tension between himself and Ben.

After finding her horse from Europe grazing in the paddock, Jaz is surprised to discover she has been personally delivered by Mischa. The others are stunned to discover Mischa is a wealthy prince and Jaz's ex-boyfriend. Riding again, Jaz is reminded of exactly what she is missing with her career. Meanwhile, Phil encourages Moira to consider leaving Drovers Run so they can travel together.

Concerned that Jaz is getting caught up in Mischa's scheme to clear her name, Grace threatens to report him to the officials if he puts Jaz at risk by going through with his plan. Moira debates telling Phil she is pregnant, and his reaction is far from what she expected. Marcus helps Stevie set aside her grief to attend the charity ball, and Tayler's new "study buddy" has Patrick concerned.

Rumours run amok after the ball, as the town believes Steve is dating Marcus. Repercussions occur when one man, Ted Franklin, causes problems for Drovers Run and Tayler takes it upon herself to dig up gossip on him to bargain with. While Stevie faces her first night away from Xander, Moira and Phil's plans for their future family are dealt a tragic blow by a sudden loss.

Following a costly accident, Ben helps Jaz try to determine what is spooking her horse, Annie, as she hopes to use her for work on Drovers Run. Meanwhile, Grace discovers that some of the new Drovers cattle have been stolen, and Tayler poses as Ingrid's assistant after a mistake. The unexpected appearance of an unwelcome face from Ingrid's past has her prepared to bolt.

Ingrid's husband Paul is investigating the cattle theft, and Ingrid is scared of what he might do if he finds out about her relationship with Marcus. Meanwhile, Phil is trying to make Moira feel better and has planned a special evening. Tayler hides the fact that she got an F on an essay, while Patrick got an A+. She doesn't tell him and she doesn't know how to make the next essay better.

Out of the hospital after being shot, Ingrid's husband Paul is determined to get his wife and he will not let anyone stand in his way. Ingrid is more concerned than ever for her own safety, as well as that of her friends who did their best to help her. Marcus vows to protect her regardless of the cost, but Ingrid has made secret plans of her own.

Rehearsals are in full swing as Moira prepares to play the leading girl in Phil's musical. During the preparations, she finds out that Phil's son is getting married, but Phil isn't planning to attend the wedding, and she decides to interfere. Meanwhile, a new vet arrives in town and Stevie feels guilty for finding him attractive. Grace feels bad about what she said to Ingrid before she left.

Hit hard by the drought and facing a growing debt, the very future of Drovers Run is at stake. The girls need help to shear all their sheep in one day to get them to a sale in time if they hope to save the ranch. Unable to locate transportation for their stock, a massive drove of Drovers and Killarney stock is organised. Failure could spell the end for Drovers Run.

With the land of Drovers Run on the line, Stevie musters all her determination to do the impossible. Meanwhile, Grace resolves her feeling for Marcus and faces a difficult decision, while Patrick and Tayler make their plans. Ultimately, old friends and loved ones return home as the future of Drovers Run is secured for the next generation.