Peregrine throws a New Year's Eve party at the Adventuresses' Club and invites Melbourne's hottest pop band to play. But it's not long before a shot rings out in the dark, leaving the lead singer dead on the floor. With all the suspects contained to the club, Peregrine and James must work together to discover the killer in their midst, even as the tension between them reaches a boiling point.

The gang gather at the river to relax and distract themselves from their assorted heartaches, but when Samuel hooks a corpse with his fishing rod, a day in the sun turns deadly. It emerges that the victim evaded murder charges many years ago, and so Peregrine and James search for a suspect with motive for revenge.

On race day, the president of the Sandridge Pigeon Club is discovered dead in the coop, covered in feathers and choked by birdseed. While Peregrine works the case with James, Birdie has her own mysterious mission to complete.

A brawl at a bowling alley between rockers and mods leads to decapitation; when the police arrest Violetta's nephew for the murder, Peregrine tries to prove his innocence.

The city is abuzz in the leadup to the prestigious Melbourne Kennel Club Championship Dog Show, but when a groomer is found murdered, scandal threatens. With James still keeping Peregrine at arm's length, Peregrine improvises and registers as the handler of the victim's prize collie. Peregrine quickly realizes there's no shortage of rivalry between the dog owners, and that the dog world is much the same as the human one, with female entrants forced down a much more challenging road to success.

James travels home to the country to investigate the murder of a childhood friend on the eve of the society wedding of the year. Peregrine muscles her way into his investigation, but as it proceeds, old wounds are opened for James and he's reminded that, to the Hartford squattocracy, he'll always be just the son of a farmhand. 

Peregrine's excitement over her upcoming nuptials is short-lived as she begins to realize she and James have different plans for their future together. When a woman's body is discovered during flight attendant training at Melbourne Airport, Peregrine goes undercover at hostess school.

The morning after a party, an architect — who was supposed to be redesigning Peregrine's home — and his lover are found dead in the sauna. Peregrine and James attempt to retrace the partygoers' movements, but the task proves difficult as the guests were swapping partners in the name of free love.