A Place to Call Home

Working her passage home aboard an ocean liner, Sarah becomes involved in the lives of the Blighs, a wealthy Australian pastoralist family. She develops an immediate connection with handsome and charming widower George, as well as his modern young daughter Anna and withdrawn daughter-in-law Olivia. But it is when Sarah unwittingly discovers a potentially scandalous Bligh family secret that her future becomes forever linked with theirs.

Warned by George about Doris' gossiping ways, Sarah proves a dab hand at deflecting her many leading questions – much to both Doris' frustration. At Ash Park, while Olivia remains feeling unwell and disconcerted by James' continued distance, it's Elizabeth who's the most put out – irritated by the fact Sarah continues to be the talk of the dinner table. But, alerted by James to the fact that her continued disparaging of Sarah is starting to raise eyebrows Elizabeth decides to allay suspicion by inviting Sarah to a fundraising concert at the local hospital.

Sarah's annoyance at the invasion of her privacy turns to anger when she is questioned by Jack. Unwilling to be drawn into a defence of her character Sarah does the one thing no-one ever expected.

The horrors of the war cast a long, unwelcome shadow over Inverness as Jack heads out around town with Sarah on her first day at work. Unable to stop wondering about the woman James admitted to loving in Europe, Olivia searches for any memento he may have kept of her. It is in her wedding album that she makes the shocking discovery of who the person he loved is.

Yom Kippur is approaching and Sarah performs a mikveh in the local creek – a spiritual, cleansing ritual that's unfortunately witnessed by Doris Collins. But while Sarah finds it hard to deal with Doris' reaction to her nudity, it is Sarah's own, personal demons that she is struggling with most. The wealthy Swanson family visit inverness as Andrew, their handsome and extremely eligible son, hopes to impress Anna.

Anna and Gino's romance continues to blossom as they sneak off to spend time together, even though it's clear that something about their secret trysts is playing on Gino's mind. At Ash Park, Olivia and James's relationship is at breaking point as Olivia struggles with the identity of James' lover.

Receiving word that her mother is gravely ill, Sarah gets a lift to Sydney with George and Anna. Elizabeth takes the decision to reveal her deepest, darkest secret in the hope that it can help James and Olivia.

Elizabeth is rushed to hospital where Jack confirms she has suffered a heart attack. Jack tenderly looks after Elizabeth as she recovers. Heavily sedated and rambling, Elizabeth comes close to revealing a secret of her past. Elizabeth's frail health sees Anna and Gino decide to postpone telling their families about their relationship, but when Carla finds Anna's contraception hidden in her room, she becomes suspicious and confronts Gino.

Sarah and George begin a secret affair and start meeting at the cottage for their romantic trysts. Anna attempts to subtly push her father towards Sarah, hoping that if she can get them together then he will be more open to learning about her relationship with Gino, but she is frustrated by the arrival of her aunt Regina.

On the eve of Remembrance Day, George is asked to host a Japanese trade delegation. Knowing how the community will feel, George asks Jack to come to the reception in the hope that the approval of a former Japanese POW might help deal with any ill feeling, but Elizabeth is concerned about Jack's ability to handle the situation.

Newly discharged from hospital, Elizabeth is unimpressed by the proprietorial way Regina is behaving towards George and asks her to leave. With tension in the house and James's secretly growing feelings for Harry, Olivia and James agree that the best chance for their family lies in the city. After learning about his affair with Sarah, Elizabeth demands George end it, but he refuses. Meanwhile, Anna tells Gino she is expecting.

George is delighted when Sarah agrees to marry him, but when Elizabeth discovers her threat to disinherit George has backfired, she resolves to take a different approach. Meanwhile, Anna encounters complications with her pregnancy.

James sees a psychiatrist who agrees to treat his sexuality, but James and Olivia's hopes of a brighter future are challenged when George arrives and confronts his son. Anna is relieved when Gino believes that she miscarried and they decide to tell their families of their intention to marry. Elizabeth's spirits are buoyed by Regina's seizure of Sarah's job application records, knowing they will help Regina dig up the skeletons of Sarah's past in Europe. But a bigger shock is in store for everyone when a dead body floats on the surface of the river near Ash Park. But who is it?