Jilly returns home and discovers Philip dead inside his fume-filled car in their garage. Stephanie insists her sister stay at Eden where Jilly's first concern is to retrieve the package Philip sent to Stephanie, resorting to a dramatic breakdown to distract Stephanie from her mail. Jake offers Dennis the job of General Manager of Harper Mining.

While Jilly listens to Philip's audio tape warning Stephanie about her, Dan and Stephanie speculate about the reason for Philip's suicide concluding it was because Jilly was having an affair. Stephanie refuses to give up on her family, including Jilly, who buries the audio cassette with her dead husband.

Jilly is shocked to encounter Jessica, Philip's neice, who has a copy of Philip's recording, sent to her by Philip as insurance. Jessica asks Jilly to be "taken under her wing". Stephanie introduces Tom to his father, Sheik Ahmal, but Tom doesn't believe Stephanie is actually his mother when she recalls her child having blue eyes when he was born — his are brown.

Stephanie meets with Jake at Harper Mining where Jake offers her a 50-50 partnership in the company — in exchange for her. Stephanie rejects the offer outright — the last one Jake says he'll make. Stephanie visits Bill in hospital and tells him she is resigned to losing Harper Mining but Bill shows her a way to get it back. Sheik Ahmal refuses to deal with Jake prompting him to call Jilly to get her help to win him over. Stephanie hosts a family dinner where she tries to rally the family.

Sheik Ahmal has dinner with Jilly and he tells her he intends to convince Stephanie to fight for her company. Stephanie tells her family about Bill's scheme to buy back the company but has decided no to go forward with it. Jessica blames Jilly for the disfiguring burns she suffered while Jilly was babysitting her as a child. Tom goes to his hospitalised father for help in finding out the truth about his past.

Sheik Ahmal offers to buy back Harper Mining back for Stephanie. Stephanie's refusal to accept his help results in a passionate plee from Ahmal encouraging her to fight for her company. Stephanie heads straight to Jake to tell him of her intentions to buy back Harper Mining and make it a private company — regardless of the cost.

Having lost Harper Mining once again, Stephanie is forced to sell Eden yet refuses to turn to Ahmal for help. Jilly enjoys her sister's misfortune. Dennis seeks Tom's help to buy back Eden for his mother. Tom offers what money he can but is leaving for Queensland to continue his quest to prove he is not Stephanie's son. After Olive reports to Jilly that Jake is Greg Sanders' brother, Jilly goes on the offensive and blackmails Jake into giving her a seat on the Harper board.

Tom's search takes him to a convent where his inquiries strike home. Sister Bernadette informs her brother, John Ryan, that Tom is closing in on the truth that he is Tom's father but John wants no part in a meeting and leaves town. Sheik Ahmal suggests to Dan and Stephanie that they purchase Eden with his money when it goes up for auction. Dan refuses the offer outright at which point Stephanie informs Ahmal that Dan knows he is Tom's father. However, Dan agrees to help Dennis make an offer on Eden.

The convent sisters confess to Tom that he is not Stephanie Harper's son but he declines to know the identity of his true father (his mother has died). The Eden auction ends prematurely when it is announced a private sale has been organised with the new owner — Jilly. Tom's father, John, begins observing the Harper family. Ahmal declares his love for Stephanie but the pair are spotted mid embrace by Dan who goes to Angelo's bar to drown his sorrows.

Olive and Jilly catch Dennis trying to burn down Eden. Rather than calling the police, Jilly calls Stephanie and confesses everything she has done to ruin her since getting out of prison and blames Stephanie for all of it. Jilly meets up with an intoxicated Dan at the Bistro and takes him back to her place. After tracking Dan to Jilly's place, Stephanie arrives and finds them in bed together, a scene carefully orchestrated by Jilly. Despondent, Stephanie drives off into the night followed by John Ryan. As dawn breaks, John watches as Stephanie stops at a secluded beach, undresses, and walks into the ocean, disappearing into the crashing waves...