Dan's search for Stephanie takes him to Eden where Jilly is moving in. It is there that a phone call from the police alerts Dan to Stephanie's reported drowning after her belongings were found on the beach. With her sister dead, Jilly calls an end to her deal with Olive. Jessica blames Jilly for Stephanie's death before Jilly faces the press who question her about the rumours surrounding her adversarial relationship with her sister. Jake arrives hot on the press' heels to confront Jilly for playing a role in Stephanie deciding to take her own life. Jilly's admission to getting Dan into her bed prompts a violent response from Jake but a gun-wielding Olive intervenes.

Stranded and out of communication in the outback after his car breaks down, Tom purchases an old car to continue his trip home. Sarah struggles to understand her mother's decision and finds comfort from Angelo. Jilly informs Dan that Stephanie saw the two of them in bed the night before and died believing the two were having an affair.

Jilly threatens Jake with legal action over his assault and blackmails him into giving her a seat on the company's board of directors. Dan confesses to Sarah his role in driving Stephanie to her death. However, on another beach, Stephanie rouses after her "rescue" which amounted to her pulling her would-be rescuer, John Ryan, out of the ocean. She denies ever intending to kill herself and the pair set off on foot.

Believing Stephanie to be dead, Jilly demands Philip's inciminating audio cassette from Jessica who threatens to take it to the police. Olive makes a fiery threat of her own to obtain the tape. While trekking through the bush, Stephanie tells John about her financial woes and he suggests there could be a benefit to her in staying dead. Driving back to the city, Tom loses control of his car and crashes.

Dan angrily confronts Jake at Harper Mining for his role in Stephanie's suicide but Jake reveals to him how Jilly manipulated him into bed. As two men who both loved Stephanie, they vow vergenace on Jilly but Dennis calms Dan down to keep him from doing anything drastic. Olive presents Jilly with Jessica's audio cassette but Jilly still pushes Olive out of her life, deciding to replace her with a new butler.

After Tom is picked up by an ambulance team, Rena informs Dan of the news that Tom will need emergency surgery and asks Dan to do it. Stephanie and John stumble upon a telephone and John tells to Stephanie to remain "dead". As she makes her call she reflects on recent events and decides to do so... at least for now. Sarah blames Tom's accident on him not being willing to accept the "truth" about Stephanie being her mother. Jilly welcomes her new butler, Michael, and agrees to let Cassie stay on at Eden. Spurned, Olive turns her dark hand to Jilly, slipping a snake into her breakfast tray.

Stephanie is beginning to settle in with Dave at his camp in the bush. Jessica is in hospital where Dan will operate to fix her scars. In a reflective mood in advance of the procedure, Dan blames himself for helping heal Stephanie which be believes started a chain of events that lead to her death. With Angelo still awaiting an answer to his proposal, Jessica admits to him they can have no future together because she is carrying Tom's child.

John shocks Stephanie by revealing that Tom McMaster is his son and not hers. Jake tells Jilly he won't stay the night with her as long as Olive is around. Olive overhears and cautions Jilly that she still needs protection but Jilly warns her not to tell her what to do, reminding her that she still has the sworn affidavit she signed admitting Jake paid her to try to kill Stephanie. Olive threatens to take her down with her if she is sent back to prison and Jilly reveals she knows it was Olive who was behind the snake attacks.

With Tom not being hers, Stephanie wonders what became of her son. Despite needing to inform her family of the truth, Stephanie decides against to returning to Sydney with John. Sarah accepts Angelo's marriage proposal after he decides he can raise her and Tom's child as his own. After her surgery, Jessica admits to having feelings for Dan. Jilly invites Jessica to move back to Eden but Jessica isn't sympathetic to her loneliness. Jake shares his skepicism about Stephanie's death with Dennis.

Returning from a supply run to town, Dave informs Stephanie about Sarah's pending wedding but she thinks she is marrying Tom after having learned they aren't brother and sister. Commiserating over the influence Jack and Jilly are having over their lives, Dennis suggests to Cassie they work together to bring them down. Sarah confronts Dennis about leaking news of her engagement to the press prompting Dennis to reveal he did it in hopes of luring their mother out of hiding. Jilly offers Eden as a venue for Sarah's wedding but Sarah won't commit.

Dave and Stephanie are in a boating accident and are thrown overboard. Dave is injured forcing Stephanie to swim through croc-infested waters to retrieve the boat. Only after getting back to his camp does he reveals there were no crocs in the river but she overcame her fears. Dave demands to be taken to hospital so Stephanie will have no reason to stay. Sarah is surprised to learn Jilly has already sent out invitations for her wedding at Eden but refuses to make an issue of it. Jake startles Jilly with a marriage proposal of his own.

Dave gives Stephanie a parting gift of a pouch of opals, which she promises to treat as a loan, and the leases for his land. Back in Sydney with John, Stephanie wants to go to her daughter's wedding but John warns her it is too risky. Sarah tells a still coma ridden Tom about her wedding but departs as he begins to come out of the coma. Awake, Tom tells Bill he learned Sarah is not his sister. Bill confirms the truth with a phone call to the nuns and Tom sends him to stop the wedding.

Stephanie arrives at the wedding disguised as an old woman and looks on from the shadows, surprised to see it is Angelo Sarah is marrying. Bill arrives too late to stop the wedding. Cassie apologises to Jessica for revealing her scars and spirits Dennis away to discuss his plan to bring down Jake. Stephanie leaves a ring for Sarah which she finds. Stephanie departs for Bahrain to take Ahmal up on his offer of help.