Kerry Armstrong

A gem sparkling with humour and intelligence and radiating with the warmth of unsentimental understanding. SCREEN INTERNATIONAL. A joy to behold! FRED YEAGER, ASSOCIATED PRESS. Told with a delicate blend of satire and nostalgia, this award-winning coming-of-age tale introduces one of Australian literature's most beloved characters to the screen, Laura Tweedle Rambothan (Susannah Fowle). Chronicling her stormy passage through the sedate halls of an...

Max Connors returns to Pearl Bay after an absence of many years, bringing his wife, Elena, with him. A successful foreign correspondent and an old friend of Dan's, Max wants to settle down in the boatshed and write a book, but he's soon drawn into the problems of his brother and father. Struggling to get over Dan, Laura forms an instant kinship with Elena but takes an immediate dislike to Max.

Pearl Bay is grieving, but not in any conventional sense. Max won't acknowledge or share his grief over Elena's death, refusing any gestures of support and not allowing anyone to attend the funeral. Unable to express their feelings over the death of Elena directly, the town's sadness manifests in their reactions to the drowning of Bucket's dog, Alfonzo Dominico.

Laura is horrified to learn that a very pregnant Trudi is now living with Jack and insists that Jack can only visit the kids at her house, on her terms. In court, Laura is faced with another case of divided loyalties when Cynthia, Harold's estranged wife, is charged with assaulting her neighbor, but the case appears to be more about ownership of a mangy cat.

Kevin is having a recurring nightmare in which a hooded figure accuses him of having failed the truth. Is it a premonition-or the effects of Phrani's cooking? Meanwhile, Pearl Bay is turning to dust as a voracious insect devours wooden structures all over town. In working on a school project, Miranda uncovers a curious gap in Meredith's memory that points to a guilty secret in Pearl Bay's past.

Just as Laura decides it's time to move things forward with Diver Dan, his ex-wife pounces into town. Dorothy is sassy, sexy, and suing Bob Jelly. Bob's indiscretion ruined her employment prospects in Port Deakin. During the case, Laura finds it hard to repress her competitiveness. As the trial progresses, it becomes clear that Dorothy may be forced to reveal compromising information.

In times gone by, Diver Dan, Angus, and other local men formed a syndicate to share the cost of an Armani suit they could call upon for formal occasions. The arrangement had gone without incident until Laura's sister, Trudi, arrives in town, and the men battle to impress her. Trudi herself is focused on trying to patch things up with her sister, but Laura's hostility runs deep.

Pearl Bay is rocked by the death of one its teenagers. Laura presides over her first coronial inquest as football hero Jerome Hall's last hours are relived. After Jerome's accident, Rupert withdraws, so Dan takes the boy under his wing, deciding he should teach Rupert how to be a man. Laura is furious to discover Dan's somewhat violent interpretation of masculinity.

When an old crony of Bob's proposes a housing development at a legendary local "parking" spot for couples, a protest ensues. By pure coincidence, Craig emerges as hero activist, impressing Miranda immensely. The attention and thrill of standing up to his father causes Craig to reevaluate his surroundings for the first time.

Laura is reluctant to spread the news of her impending marriage, but she is keen to sever all legal ties with Jack. However, when Jack pays Laura what he owes, she feels unexpectedly hollow. Construction work finally begins on the tunnel site, arousing Max's curiosity, and he's not shy about sharing what he finds. Wife-less and facing a lengthy prison sentence, Bob Jelly decides to end it all.