Frankie Maddox,head of a team of district nurses at a Bristol doctors practice,is concerned that sixty-year old Jean Winters is running herself ragged,caring for a terminally ill husband and crossing town to look in on Walter,her father,who has Alzheimers. Jean is resistant to outside intervention,fearing Walter will be institutionalized but Dr Zoe Evans tells Frankie she sees no alternative. However,when Walter,not knowing who she is,attacks Frankie,her colleague Andy insists she report it and ultimately she is unable to prevent the old man being taken away. She does however save the life of a permanently ill child whose mother,an army wife,is heavily pregnant but her obsession with her work wrecks the birthday surprise her partner Ian had for her and drives him to going off with another woman.