Vicky diagnoses a bad case of thrush in Samson, a horse owned by the wealthy Lyall family. She lectures the haughty young daughter of the family, Ashleigh, about the proper care of horses. Ashleigh attends the very exclusive Rosemont school and is on the debating team. She rushes off, leaving Vicky to finish up with Samson. Terence arrives at the clinic as Shirley is reading the Burrigan Examiner. He asks what's going on in the news and she mentions the debate due to take place between Burrigan and Rosemont. A young man who works part time at the Club, Lorrie Bellotti, is on the Burrigan team. Simon arrives and asks for the real estate page from the paper. All the baby talk has made him think about buying a house. He hasn't asked Vicky yet (he wants to surprise her once he's found something) but Shirley warns him against that. Vicky hates surprises. Shirley also mentions that Simon's father called, prompting nervousness in Simon. At the police station, Frank passes a plumbing request from Mrs. Kemp on to Bob. Bob is there inspecting the plumbing at the station and has found some problems (the cistern is shot). Frank will get the Public Works Department in Burrigan to take care of it. He doesn't want to make a fuss over repairs to the station (roof leaks and the wiring is shot) in case it prompts them to shut him down. Bob asks him to check on a few few used cars while he's in Burrigan -- Molly's looking to by a ute to haul her veggies in. The phone rings -- it's Mrs. Roebuck reporting that Jackie's guinea pig is on the roof and needs bringing down so Frank is the first choice to handle it. He's not to impressed. School lets out. A group of girls from the Rosemont school see young Lorenzo Bellotti waiting at the bus and tease Ashleigh about her interest in him. She sits down next to him (while her friends continue on a ways) and tells him she thinks he did a great job in the debate. They chat for awhile about tomorrow's debate and Italians until his bus arrives. She offers him a lift in her red Alfa Romeo but he refuses. Bob has a drink at the Club. Lorenzo has been working there and Cookie thinks he's a very hard worker. It's raining. Frank stops in at the Club looking for Reg Harris. Reg wants him to witness a document and Frank is beginning to chafe at being at the beck and call of everyone who wants every little thing done. When he sees Lorenzo leave for the day, he tells Cookie that no one under the age of 18 should be working on licensed premises. Frank decides not to wait for Reg. Vicky stops by the clinic to see Simon. Simon's busy with young Jackie Roebuck, who fell off the roof trying to rescue his guinea pig and now has a greenstick fracture of his left wrist. Vicky remarks that guinea pigs get dizzy 6 inches off the ground; what on earth was it doing on the roof? Ashleigh stops in to bring Simon the putter her father had been talking to Simon about and to try to sell her 2 tickets to the golf club ball ($40 per couple, benefitting some wildlife preservation thing). When Terence leaves his office, she tries to sell him some tickets too. As she's leaving the clinic, she asks Vicky if she knows anything about the Bellotti family. At the Bellotti home, Lorrie's mother is busy sewing. When he arrives home, he reminds her to speak English. Her hands are bothering her and he insists she go see the doctor. She has a quota to meet but refuses his offer to finish up the uniforms for her. They argue about her refusal to go see a doctor or ease up on her work.

Frank talks to Killer on the phone about the state of disrepair of the police station. He's currently fighting major leaks in the roof and the cistern is still out. Killer insists they're cutting costs and repairs will be difficult. Shirley arrives to go home with Frank but he's too busy trying to get things finished. She asked him about the guinea pig on the roof and he tells her it parachuted. He gets called out (by Mrs. Rivers) to an Italian domestic dispute. Frank arrives at the Bellotti house, where everything is quiet. He tells them there's been a complaint about the yelling. They convince him nothing is happening but Mrs. Bellotti was worried that her husband sent the police after them. Simon plays around with his new putter and almost trips over Charmaine in the process. Vicky picks her up and cuddles her like a baby for awhile [funny how people do that with small baby-sized pets]. The phone rings -- it's Simon's father. He's offering to give them a deposit for a house. [there should have been a commercial here]

Lorrie and his mother are walking home from the market, arguing, as Ashleigh Lyall pulls up in her car. Ashleigh offers them a lift home but Mrs. Bellotti refuses. Mrs. Bellotti has decided she doesn't like Ashleigh; she thinks she's spoiled. Frank brings Ray Pearce's gear down to him at the hospital. He complains to Judy about being a slave to the town. She in turn complains about the red tape and overwork at the hospital. She tells him about a dog that was hanging around the kitchen and asks him to take it away. At the Bellotti home, Lorrie helps out with the sewing while his mother cooks dinner. Mrs. Bellotti insists that Ashleigh is not a suitable girl for her son -- she's too forward and lazy; he needs a good Italian girl. She won't talk about Lorrie's father, who drank too much, beat her, and played cards all the time. They ran away. She tells Lorrie she's going to go lie down but for him to wake her up at midnight. He insists she needs more sleep than that but she says she'll sleep like a baby when the machine is paid off. She tries to take the pot of pasta off the stove but her hands are bothering her too much and she drops it. Hot water and spagetti cover her hands and arms, burning them. Lorrie tells her she can't work with her hands like this, especially for such a paltry sum of money. [Showcase inserted a commercial here]

At the Club, Simon tells Vicky that the offer from his parents is for $40,000, no strings attached. She's a little reluctant to take the money, thinking there must be a catch, but Simon thinks they should take it. Cookie and Bob argue the two sides (Bob for doing it all on your own, Cookie for taking the money and running). Ashleigh gives Lorrie a lift home from school. She apologizes to him for coming off badly with her mother. She offers to teach him how to drive. He gives her a little peck on the cheek after getting out of the car. He's told her the wrong house, though, and once she pulls away, he treks off through the woods to his real home. Unfortunately for him, she saw him do it and follows him home. She doesn't seem to be disturbed by his poverty and tell him so but he is embarrassed by it and makes some cutting remarks about palaces and butlers before telling her to leave. Mrs. Bellotti comes into the kitchen and tells her to leave. Lorrie insists that Ashleigh leave, as he has to go to work. When Ashleigh leaves, Mrs. Bellotti shows her son her hands, which are blistered from the burns. Molly drops Chloe off at the police station for Frank to watch for 10 minutes. As she rushes off, she reminds him that her absolute limit on the ute is $400 (he doesn't get a chance to tell her that she'll never get anything reliable for that amount). At the clinic, Vicky talks to Shirley about Jackie Roebuck and the mysterious guinea pig. Apparently, Jackie put the poor thing in a string bag, attached it to an umbrella, and launched it from a tree. Vicky tells her mother about the offer from Simon's parents. Shirley asks whose offer it was, Robert's or Aileen's -- she thinks if it was Aileen's, it would be ungracious not to take it. She tells Vicky that Vicky was a tough person to give anything to, that she'd hurt Shirley many times by not letting her give anything to her. Terence leaves his office in time to see a rather subdued Vicky. They are chatting as Lorrie comes in with his mother. He tells Shirley she doesn't need to wait. Ashleigh arrives home. Her father is sitting on the veranda and she sits and talks to him. He's reading an article about the debate -- there's a picture of her and Lorrie. They talk about her grandfather, who was a hardworking immigrant himself. Mrs. Lyall isn't due home from Double Bay until Friday so Ashleigh and her father decide to eat out for dinner. He suggests the golf club but she suggests the Club in Wandin Valley instead, surprising him. Terence bandages up Mrs. Bellotti's hands and tells her he wants to see her in 2 or 3 days. He gives her a prescription for an antibiotic and tells Lorrie that she's to use her hands as little as possible. He has to fill in some personal details but the Bellotti's aren't very forthcoming. They insist on paying cash and refuse a Medicaid card when Terence suggests it. After they leave Terence's office, she sends Lorrie on to work and then pretends she can't speak English and rushes out when Terence asks her if she has anyone to take her home.

Vicky and Shirley stop in at the hospital to drop off a prescription and pick up some x-rays. Judy asks Shirley about Frank's attitude lately, about the grumbling he did. Molly and Chloe show up and mentions that Frank had been minding Chloe for awhile. Ashleigh and her father arrive at the Club all dressed up. She calls out a hello to Lorrie, who comes over to say hi. She introduces him to her father. Simon stops in and tells Mr. Lyall that he owes him for one great putter. He asks Ashleigh how her Italian love affair was going, meaning her Alfa Romeo, and Mr. Lyall looks a little odd. He and Simon discuss the fact that Simon is looking at property while Ashleigh and Lorrie make calf eyes at one another from a distance. At home, Mr. Lyall talks to Ashleigh about Lorrie. When Simon arrives home, he finds Vicky sitting on the couch, cuddling Charmaine like a baby again. He's a bit late getting home. He starts talking about his chat with Jimmy Lyall and buying houses and all that. He's surprised when she suddenly agrees that they can accept the money for a house. Ashleighs stands on the veranda. Suddenly she hears her name called from the bushes. It's Lorrie. He pulls up a chair to the railing and stands on it. She leans over the railing and they kiss. Some times later, Lorrie and his mother stop in to see Terence. He asks if she's been resting her hands and it's apparent she can understand English, even if she doesn't speak it very well. Lorrie tells Terence about the other pains his mother's been having, in her wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Terence thinks it sounds arthritic. He examines her right arm. He asks her to cup her thumb in her fist. Despite her obvious pain, she insists she feels nothing. Lorrie admits that his mother is worried that the doctor will tell her to stop working. Terence tells Mrs. Bellotti he thinks she has tenosynovitis. When she keeps insisting that she's fine, he asks her to open a pill bottle for him. When she can't, he opens it for her and gives a couple to Lorrie to give her. He tells her she'll need to take time off work and splint her arms. He's amazed she can work with the pain she must be feeling. Shirley is at the police station when Frank gets off the phone with Killer Burke. Killer's told him to like it or lump it. Frank's decided to lump it and quit the force. He thinks Shirley will talk him out of it but she's already excitedly planning what to do with his retirement money. Frank doesn't seem too thrilled with the idea.

Ashleigh picks up Lorrie after school. He tells her about being picked to sit for a big scholarship exam by a big Italian company. They hug. When he gets home, he finds his mother sewing. She tells him about showing the doctor's note to the man from the Burrigan clothing factory. The man laughed at her and was going to take away her sewing machine -- it's only half paid for (there's another $200 left to pay). Lorrie insists on doing the sewing for her and decides not to tell her about the scholarship he should be studying for.

At the clinic, Terence sees Lorrie and Mrs. Bellotti. Her burns are healing nicely but they want to know when her other pain will clear up so she can get back to work. After they leave, Simon asks what's going on. When Terence mentions that Mrs. Bellotti has tenosynovitis, Simon says "Ah, the malingerer's disease". His father has said that people are lining up in droves for compensation but Terence tells him that Mrs. Bellotti works at home and would never get compensation. When Simon asks how Terence knows it's not arthritis, Terence asks Simon how much he knows about industrial ailments and points out that perhaps Simon would like to view some of Terence's reading material on the subject. At Burrigan High School, Ashleigh asks after Lorrie. She sees Cookie walking past the school with an armload of grocery bags and asks if he's seen him. Cookie says the young man has been turning up for work, that it's up to Lorrie whether or not he turns up at school. Cookie tells her Lorrie will be at the Club tonight. Di Lyall is home and having tea on the veranda with her husband. He briefly tells her about Ashleigh's passing fancy for some Italian dishwasher. Ashleigh arrives home but rushes past them to get ready to go out. She won't tell them where. Vicky stops by the Jones farm and talks to Molly about Ashleigh ("What Ashleigh wants, Ashleigh gets.")...she's been by to give the horse an injection. Molly despairs of ever being able to afford the second hand ute, ostensibly to give to Brendan as a gift for his birthday (that's the thought, anyway, even if it will mostly be used for hauling the veggies). What he really wants is a horse. Vicky mentions that she and Simon have been invited to lunch with the Lyalls. Molly's heard of the $40,000 from the Bowens and is sure that Simon and Vicky won't have trouble with the banks when the time comes. At the Club, Esme talks to Lorrie. When she learns he's Italian, she begins speaking very slowly to him. Even when it is apparent that he speaks and understands English as well as anyone, she still talks to him as if he just got off the boat. Cookie comes out of the kitchen and tells her they're not open and Lorrie is busy. Ashleigh shows up and Cookie has to haul Esme into the kitchen to get her out of earshot. Ashleigh asks Lorrie about not going to school and he kind of blows up at her. She tries to talk to him but he's very abrupt and she leaves. When she gets home, she's very thoughtful. Di asks her about her new admirer and wants to know when she'll meet him. Maybe he can come to lunch on Saturday with the Bowens? Terence arrives at the Club and greets Lorrie. He asks about Mrs. Bellotti and Lorrie asks how long she'll have to stop working. Terence tells him he's worried about the two of them but Lorrie doesn't want to talk and returns to the kitchen. Terence orders a drink and asks Cookie about Lorrie.

At the hospital, Simon is in high spirits the next morning. He asks them if they want to see his polaroids -- he means photos of old houses they've looked at. He's very enthusiastic about them but Judy and Terence tease him about all the bad things probably hidden these wonderful houses. The phone rings -- it's Robert Bowen for Simon. He tells his father that they've almost made up their minds but don't want to rush into things. He promises to decide by the end of the week. Lorrie lurks outside the Lyall estate, waiting for Ashleigh to go by. She rides by on his horse and stops to talk to him. He apologizes for his behaviour. He tells her about his mother. He hasn't been able to do much studying but he really hopes to win the scholarship. She asks him to lunch and he says he'll try. He gives her his St. Christopher medal and they hold hands through the barbed fence that borders the property. Terence stops in at the Bellotti home. Mrs. Bellotti speaks very fractured English to him. She's removed the splints but he insists on putting them back on her. He asks her about the sewing she does and she points out the ad she replied to that got her the work. He takes his leave of her but the minute he's gone, she removes the splints again.

At the Bowen flat Simon and Vicky are getting ready for their lunch with the Lyalls. While he primps in the mirror, he talks to Vicky about their decision to get a house. He mentions that they'll have to pick a house that his father approves of, since it is his money. Vicky isn't too impressed and doubts she and Robert would have the same taste. Terence stops in at the police station. Frank is deep into electrical repairs and in a rather crabby mood. Terence is about to leave to come back another time when Frank relaxes a little. Terence tells him about the factory in Burrigan that Rosa Bellotti works for, how he feels Mrs. Bellotti is being exploited. There was only a box number on the ad, the work is dropped off and picked up, and she's paid in cash. Terence hopes that Frank can find out who the factory owner is and maybe arrange better conditions for Mrs. Bellotti. At the Lyall estate, Jimmy asks Simon about the house hunting. He and Di offer their opinions as to what Simon and Vicky should be looking for. It's obvious that Vicky isn't too open to their suggestions. Ashleigh shows up and introduces Lorrie to them all. Frank stops by the Jones farm with rose clippings for Molly. It's lunch time and Molly offers him a sandwich. He tells her about the repairs he's doing today on his day off. He's going to tackle the cistern this arvo. He had hoped that Brendan might be able to help out but Brendan isn't there. Di Lyall offers to show Simon and Vicky the house. She asks Ashleigh to make some coffee and when Ashleigh says Lorrie can help, insists that Lorrie, as a guest, should stay and keep Jimmy company. Jimmy talks to Lorrie about his prospects. Jimmy's first job was a common labourer and he says he understands Lorrie's situation. They seem to be chatting very amicably until Jimmy makes the comment that Ashleigh is right out of Lorrie's class and that he'd better abandon any ideas of getting together with her before either of them gets hurt. When Simon and Vicky arrive home, Vicky complains about how snooty Di and Jimmy were. Simon defends their actions as being well intended. When Simon remarks that they can't be that snooty if their daughter's boyfriend is a dishwasher, Vicky tells him that Lorrie was probably only there to be put in his place. Simon is astonished that he never noticed anything out of place. Ashleigh takes Lorrie back to his home. He's very subdued and she wants to know what's wrong. He asks her in and when she asks, he tells her what her father said and how her mother looked at him. She insists she isn't like them. When Ashleigh innocently tells him that his mother will be better after a few days rest, he begins to yell at her and tells her exactly what life is like for his mother. He thrusts one of the uniforms into Ashleigh's hands and she reads the label. Mrs. Bellotti comes out of her bedroom in time to see Ashleigh running out the door. Lorrie's words are echoing through Ashleigh's head as she arrives home. Rather than getting out of the car, she backs up and roars away. Shirley is trying to help Frank do his repairs to the police station loo. There's water all over the floor and he can't seem to get the water turned off. Everything, including Frank and Shirley, is soaked. Bob arrives and Frank insists they can handle everything without paying for a plumber...water comes flooding out over the floor, belying Frank's words. Ashleigh arrives home late. Her parents have been worried. Ashleigh yells at her parents and tells them what she's learned -- that the company that Mrs. Bellotti is frantically sewing for, Unitex, is owned by the Lyalls. Ashleigh takes her parents to task for the conditions that Mrs. Bellotti has to work under. Jimmy and Di try to defend the company by saying that they must costs down in order to be able to compete in today's market, that how else could they afford the house, private school, sports car, etc.. Ashleighrushes off telling them she hates them.

Terence talks to Molly at the Jones farm about Unitex. He's spoken to Mr. Lyall and has an appointment to talk to him in person about the workers. He's come to Molly to pick her brain about the garment industry. She explains piece working to him and how the women who do the sewing would be better off working by the hour for the casual labour rate. They just don't know any better. Terence wonders if maybe the owners don't know what's happening but Molly knows better. She tells him that she's never met Mr. Lyall but she could probably tell Terence exactly what he's like. Ashleigh stops by the Bellotti house to talk to Mrs. Bellotti. She admits that her parents own the company that Mrs. Bellotti works for. She urges Mrs. Bellotti to band together with the other women to strike but the woman won't hear of it. At the Club, Terence talks to Jimmy Lyall about the conditions of the garment workers. Jimmy explains the facts of business. He's decided to export the entire operations of Unitex to the Phillippines, where labour is cheaper. When the conversation is ended, Jimmy invites Simon to join them. Terence returns to the hospital. Judy runs into him, literally, after going shopping. She's excited over getting such a bargain of a dress and Terence, thinking of the living conditions of the people who make such bargains, tells her he doesn't like it. Jimmy stops by to talk to Mrs. Bellotti. He tells her he wants to give her the sewing machine as a gift. Mrs. Bellotti is thankful. Jimmy gives her a card for more sewing work. Lorrie tells him to get lost. Later, Lorrie talks to Ashleigh about her father and about their future. She just wants to be with him but he can see all the obstacles in their future.

Frank buys Bob a drink as thanks for his help with the cistern. Shirley decides that they need to have a full day of working on the roof, back stairs, etc. Bob says to keep it on the QT (how would it look to his mates, him working for nothing for the cops). Shirley laughs and tells him they won't put him to work. Esme comes rushing into the Club looking for Bob. She's heard all about him helping out at the police station and persists in loudly congratulating him within hearing of his plumber mates. He can't shut her up. Ashleigh talks to her father about his moving of the uniform factory out of the country. He tells her that once the factory is moved, they no longer need to live in Burrigan. They're going on a trip to Europe. She wonders if this is her bribe. He insists it will help her get over her infatuation but she tells him it's more than that. Shirley hands Mrs. Bellotti some benefit brochures and tells her that a social worker will be in touch. Terence explains to Shirley that Mrs. Bellotti is terrified her husband will find her. Frank assures her that if her husband comes to Wandin Valley, he'll take care of him. Lorrie is sitting for the scholarship today. Mrs. Bellotti thanks them all. Frank is in much better spirits and obviously no longer thinking of retiring -- Shirley is amused and tells him to give Mrs. Bellotti a lift home. At Burrigan High, Ashleigh tells Lorrie about her father's plans. He thought that might happen. She insists she'll hate it there and that she'll be back. They profess their love for one another and he gets out of the car to board the school bus. She drives away. At the Bowen flat, Simon talks to his father on the phone. He's trying to explain to him that he and Vicky don't want the money, they want to do it on their own. Vicky smiles and asks why. He tells her he had a revelation of himself becoming like Jimmy Lyall and he hated it.