Anna faces every parent's worst nightmare as baby Amy is rushed to hospital with signs of meningitis and when the diagnosis is confirmed, panic sets in among the townsfolk. Anna keeps vigil by her daughter's side, while Luke plays truant from school, sending Karen on a desperate mission to find him. Beth and Tom give in to their feelings for each other.

Anna tries to help new factory worker Linda Sargent, a single mother afraid she'll lose custody of her five children if it becomes known that she has Parkinson's disease. Meanwhile, Beth agonises over whether to accept the offer of a job in Holland, uncertain of how such a drastic move would affect her relationship with Tom - and paradoxically, it takes a rugby match to help her decide.