As the new prison psychologist, Louisa Correlli must find a way to help a long-serving prison officer, Costa, come to terms with the break-up of his marriage and the death of his best friend. Through all this, a newly-arrived prisoner, Kevin Jones, who appears to be suffering from brain damage, arouses her interest. Her expertise is tested to its limits, and the situation culminates when Costa loses control at the prison's family day, and Louisa begins to believe that Jones's condition may be a scam.

Louisa discovers the truth about Jones, but before she exposes him, she must establish why he chose the path of deceit. Concurrently, Louisa is drawn into the fantastic world of a prisoner, Alfredo, and his pain when Jean, his long-time visitor, dies in a car crash.

Louisa is confronted by the parallels of life and work when a prisoner, Brett Hodges, little older than her son, Anthony, arrives at the prison. Hodges' attitude problem and naivete make him vulnerable to the drug network. Thwarted in her attempts to help him, Louisa is alerted by Sister Pat to the realities of prison life, and this impacts on Louisa's personal life.

Officer Helen Buckley joins Blackstream Prison staff, and is unwittingly seduced by Specs Redman, a prisoner who has his own hidden agenda. After Redman lands in hospital, Buckley realises she has been taken for a ride, and must make a split-second decision. Meanwhile, Louisa's progress with Jones is interrupted when he attempts to take control of the relationship.

After Redman's shooting, Buckley must regain her position of power in the face of isolation among her peers and the scorn of the prisoners. Meanwhile, Louisa's progress with Hodges is halted when a planned visit from his estranged sister is thwarted by industrial action, resulting in a lock-down of the prison. Jones's initial dislike of Hodges is changed by Hodges' emotional struggle.

Louisa and Sister Pat encourage three Aboriginals to form a band to keep them out of trouble. Louisa is also faced with the problem of dealing with a self-mutilator, known as "Spoons", whom she is trying to have transferred to a psychiatric facility. Unable to do so, she takes solace in her relationship with one of the Aboriginals. However, just as it is developing well, things go terribly wrong. Jones assaults Sam in a counselling session, and as a result, Louisa has to face some hard decisions.