Mid-September in Arcadia Waters Council and it's only days to the local government elections. The mayor of Arcadia Waters, Col Dunkley, has a few problems. The local newspaper has run a story about his wife leaving him, a new showpiece bus shelter is way behind schedule and a member of staff is threatening to reveal something shocking about his past.
Col Dunkley has made it back onto the council, but in the race to be Mayor, Col must win the vote of the newly elected and genuinely independent Karin Schumaker. His main stumbling block is Daryl, a corrupt member of staff who seems to have something on him personally.
There are more big dreams, bold plans and shady deals underway as we follow a year in the life of the Arcadia Waters Council. Col Dunkley and his faction celebrate their win and talk about Col's vision for the year ahead.
When entrepreneur Max Werring tells Col he can get Dame Kiri Te Kanawa for the Arcadia Waters Festival, Col's grand plan to put Arcadia Waters on the cultural map looks as though it is about to be realised.
At a secret meeting with Marilyn Hennessy, Greg tells her that he's going to support Col in every silly plan he has for as long as it takes to get Council to agree to sell its childcare service to her. At the same time, Liz tries to convince Karin that Greg is leading Council slowly and surely towards privatising childcare. Karin says she'll keep an open mind, but Liz would prefer a more unqualified support.
When Col refuses any more financial support to Harry's run down bowling club, Harry feels he has no alternative than to talk to the men-in-suits from the Business Club. The Business Club proposes a merger, a new club on the bowling club premises, but renovated, extended and generally much bigger.
It's been a bad day for Liz. Her childcare workers haven't received their payout cheques, there's an angry parent who claims that his daughter has been corrupted while on work experience, and Greg is threatening to cut her staff down even more.
Col spends most of the year working in secret with property tycoon Morgan Bartok to prepare a visionary plan for the development of a scrubby, neglected headland. This is his vision, his dream, and wouldn't he be the last person to let something tawdry like politics get in the way?