A chance encounter with an impoverished child forces Trixie to see an unfamiliar darker side of life. As Nonnatus House welcomes a new resident, Nurse Barbara Gilbert, Tom Hereward has a surprise romantic gesture in store for Trixie.

The Nonnatus team rallies to support first-time parents Marie and Tony Amos when Tony is arrested for gross indecency with another male. Elsewhere, as Poplar is gripped by an outbreak of dysentery, Trixie undertakes her first official church duty since her engagement to Tom.