Patricia refuses to sign adoption papers for her unborn baby, with tragic results. Joan gets closer to finding the family of Gail's orphaned baby. Matron's world is rocked when her biological son is released from prison. Martha is swept off her feet by an admirer.

Joan finds herself in the middle of a violent custody battle over Gail's baby. Patricia faces a crisis when she travels to Melbourne to marry her Prince Charming. Martha is obsessed with seeing Queen Elizabeth during the 1970 royal tour.

The custody battle over Jim's baby becomes deadly serious. Joan receives a surprising proposal. Annie is deemed an unfit mother when her baby goes missing. Patricia has a life-changing encounter with some hippies.

Joan puts the welfare of Jim’s baby ahead of her career. Matron makes a deal with the devil in order to save Stanton House from closure. Annie gets closer to Chris, unaware of his history.

Martha’s reunion with her birth mother turns into a nightmare. Joan and Jim’s relationship is blown apart by a secret from her past. Annie is distraught to learn she is pregnant again.

In the season final, Joan makes a terrible choice to save her husband. Matron fights a desperate battle to keep Stanton House open. McNaughton makes a fateful decision that has a drastic impact on Joan and Jim’s future.

It’s 1970 and the times they are a-changing. Joan is devastated to discover an infection has left her almost certainly infertile while delinquent teen Maggie is determined to discover the identity of her birth mother.

Shirley fights to keep her job as Maggie learns the truth of their relationship, Joan uncovers McNaughton's part in Greg Mathieson's death, and Viv loses her twins all over again.

As Joan struggles to admit her infertility to Jim, Annie faces the death of her father, but not before he encourages her to go to Vietnam as an entertainer.

In Vietnam, Viv finds herself holding her newly orphaned baby nephew. Joan confirms Eva is pregnant as Patty and Jim give in to their lust.

While Viv is forced to leave her orphaned nephew behind in Vietnam, Joan is devastated when Jim does a runner to avoid jail - taking baby James with him.

Joan is devastated when Jim does a runner to avoid jail, taking baby James with him.

Annie risks losing her unborn child when she is injured at an anti-war protest. Joan's career as a doctor hangs in the balance following her role in Eva's pregnancy. Shirley makes a life-changing decision to help Maggie keep her baby.

Dr McNaughton is prepared to sacrifice his career to help Joan and Jim escape criminal charges. But is he too late? A drunken bucks night ruins Patty's plans for Martha and Bowditch's wedding. Viv faces a tough choice when Pete proposes to her.

As wedding bells chime, new love blossoms as old loves are lost forever, and amidst betrayal and secrecy, Joan must face the hardest decision of her life.