Michael Aloysius Rafferty starts his new job as Stipendiary Magistrate of Manly Local Court.

Rafferty is confronted by the past when his older brother visits him.

Michael wrestles with the concept of possession after the discovery of Aboriginal remains creates a conflict of ownership between the state and the Indigenous community.

Michael is caught between a rock and a hard place when he is forced to decide the fate of a young boy whose doctors believe is sick, but whose parents are refusing further tests on religious grounds.

Gibson faces his past after a series of alcohol-related prosecutions force him to confront the reasons he gave up drinking.

Michael sees the law from another perspective after he becomes the key witness in Flicker's prosecution against an arsonist.