An elderly man is found dead in his home. His body is bound to a chair, his home has been ransacked, and a mysterious hole has been dug in his backyard. The Kingsway detectives are called in. Further complicating matters is a mysterious phone call placed from the man's home to the Kingsway station on the day the incident occurred. Joe believes the call was from a careless police officer phoning in the crime, but the call appears in Nicole's phone log having been dismissed as just one of a series of prank calls made to the station in recent days. It's a puzzling case with few suspects and no apparent motive, the detectives have their work cut out for them. Nicole reaches her limit with Joe. His inability to appreciate the guilt she feels at possibly playing a role in the man's death (as a result of not acting on the phone call) sparks her decision to move out of Joe's house. A controversial court decision by Harriet's mother affects Harriet's relationship with Sophie.

Theo and Nicole's evening out ends with an unexpected tragedy when Nicole is shot and rushed to hospital. With no reason for her to be the target of a contract-style shooting, the investigation is slow to develop. It is the discovery of a dead body at the bottom of a cliff that provides the crucial lead. The dead man, Lance Stiffner, was shot by the same type of gun that shot Nicole. It quickly becomes clear that Nicole was the victim of mistaken identity. The intended target was Nina Napolitano, who was having an affair with Stiffner. Her imprisoned husband found out and put out a hit on both her and Stiffner. The identity of the shooter is provided by a reluctant accomplice, and Joe and Theo are soon involved in a high-speed chase with their suspect. The chase ends when Joe draws his gun and shoots the suspect, believing to be in danger of being shot himself. However, upon searching the car, no gun is found. Was Joe mistaken or was it a case of cold-blooded revenge?

The police's Critical Response Team is brought in to investigate Lloyd Zuker's death. Theo lies about seeing Zuker with a gun to help Joe but his story doesn't hold up under scrutiny and lead investigator Frank Conti tries to get him to turn on Joe, threatening to charge Joe with murder and Theo with the attempt to pervert the course of justice. Despite the findings of Conti's report, Joe does have the Commissioner's support, but he's haunted by the shooting and is determined to find Zuker's missing gun and clear his name. Meanwhile, the detectives investigate the murder of a man whose body is pulled from a lake. Nicole comes out of surgery.

A groom is shoot by a masked gunman at a lavish wedding reception, but despite all the guests, the detective's efforts are frustrated when no one will admit to seeing anything. Further complicating matters is an accusation that a police officer stole a large sum of money intended for the newlyweds — and evidence points towards Shane. Joe's receives an emotional blow when he learns his first wife has decided to move to Queensland to be with her new boyfriend, taking their daughter Ruby with her. To add to his woes, the seriousness of Nicole's relationship with Shane hits home when she tells him Shane has proposed. A friendly poker game yields a key clue in solving one of the crimes.

The body of a newborn baby is unearthed in a churchyard after a priest reluctantly comes forward with information given to him in confession about a possible body buried in the local presbytery. When the priest is later found hanged in his office, the detectives' initial thoughts are suicide, but why would a priest commit a mortal sin by taking his own life? Could the two deaths be related? Meanwhile, Joe's new girlfriend, Harriet's best friend, pressures him to tell Harriet about their relationship.

The death of a fruiterer seems the result of a war between two organised crime gangs. Or is it just personal? Could Harriet be suffering from a case of the green-eyed monster? She certainly seems anything but chuffed when rookie constable Nicole Brown moves in on the close professional bond Harriet has formed with Joe Hill. Nicole was once involved in a steamy relationship with Joe. Now Harriet can't help feeling that her professional territory is being invaded.

When Nicole is called to the horrific murder of a young woman in a remote industrial area, she's forced to examine the way she views crime and criminals. Forensic tests reveal Diane Swift was raped, tortured, and set on fire with petrol. The horror of the murder leads Nicole into a relationship with the woman's best friend as she strives to understand the reasons behind the killing. Nicole's empathy deepens when she's asked to imitate Diane for a re-enactment of her last known movements in an attempt to generate badly needed leads.