Dr. Harry Williams becomes the ward's newest, and most demanding, patient when he is admitted with a cardiac condition. While performing a delicate procedure on a patient whom she believes does not speak english, Von makes some inappropriate comments that upset her patient. Jarred connects with a young drug addict.

Bron faces the dilemma of becoming too attached to a patient when hunky muscle man Arnie Walker is brought in after falling off his motorbike. As his condition deteriorates, Bron suspects that his real problems may not be the result of the accident. Sophie faces professional and personal challenges on her first day back at work. Terri comes to the defence of a coworker who believes Terri is to blame for her dismissal.

Bron's favourite patient Bob Parkin is back in the ward with pneumonia. He is stunned and disbelieving when told his illness is probably HIV related, and he refuses to have an HIV test. Nor is he forthcoming on the possible source of the infection, and Bron suspects he genuinely doesn't know. Bron makes it her personal mission to convince Bob to have the test, so he can take advantage of the latest therapies and treatments. However, her job is not an easy one as he has adopted an ostrich approach. Bron learns about Bob's long lost ex-lover and sensing she might be able to shed some light on his illness, tries to track her down.

Meanwhile, Luke assists in performing a laparotomy on Margaret Quinell. She has several tumours and the consultant is convinced it is terminal cancer. Luke is ordered to break the news to Margaret, even before the results of the biopsy come through. He's surprised however, when Margaret is philosophical about dying, as it means she can join her late husband. Margaret's estranged son David turns up at the hospital unexpectedly, after having lost touch with his mother. Connor finds himself treading a difficult path as he cares for Margaret and tries to help David reconcile with his mother before she dies.

Jared is dismayed and angry to find out that Angie is back in the ward. She fell over following an overdose and has a cut to her head. Dr. Wu tells her that he has contracted Hepatitis B and C. In addition to his normal duties, Jared takes care of Angie. However, he takes things too far when he invites her to stay with him and Connor upon her discharge from hospital.

The lives of the Ward 17 staff are about to change forever when an emotional Sophie battles her father-in-law to retain custody of her two young boys. With her best friends being used against her in a seemingly unwinnable custody fight, Sophie, in her desperation, makes a drastic decision about her children's future. Bron becomes emotionally involved in the fate of a car accident victim and his young daughter. Jared is an unlikely ally when a patient returns to Ward 17 for an operation he is determined will enable him to walk again.

Having responded to the scene of Sophie's car accident, Ben is having difficulty coming to terms with the aftermath of treating people he knows. Sophie and her children have survived the head-on collision resulting from her impaired driving but her friends are even more shocked when her desperate actions the night before come to light. Refusing to lose custody of her children to the man who raised her husband, Sophie confronts her father-in-law from her hospital bed putting Terri and Peter in the middle of a siege situation that will change eveyone's life. Meanwhile, Bron's fundraising netball game disintegrates when some personal agendas come into play on the court and Von's New Year's resolution seems destined to go up in smoke. A comment in the OR results in a nurse filing a report against Luke for negligence.