As the crew are flown across the North Sea to the hazardous world of an exploration rig, they are distressed to find that a colleague has died suddenly of a massive heart attack under mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, a strike is threatened when a wallet goes missing.
Tessa, the new female mechanic, creates a stir on the rig and helps an oilman's widow to come to terms with her grief. Meanwhile, the stakes are high as a team from the Osprey Explorer challenge the crew of another rig to a quiz.
When they get shore leave, the crew of Osprey Explorer pick up the pieces of their private lives. Archie rushes to the hospital where his ex-wife has been taken after a car crash. Ian and Hilary have a great day walking in the Highlands but later face a problem over their relationship. Tom is worried because his daughter Heather is spending too much time with Chris - a playboy twice her age.
A journalist is flown on to the Osprey Explorer, putting Chris in the spotlight.
While Tom and Izzy's worse fears for Heather are realised, something is wrong on the Osprey.
Dawn breaks and the stunned survivors wait on Osprey for news of their missing mates. Someone is responsible for the accident and the fingers point at the driller. Why isn't Chris there to defend himself?
The crew return to the Osprey Explorer for the first time since their colleague Ian's death.
The crew are held at gunpoint in the coffee shack by a group of masked men. As tempers rise, Cinders is transformed into a reluctant hero.
There's an outbreak of gambling on the Osprey and a young steward soon finds himself addicted. Cinders, a reformed gambler, decides to teach him a lesson - but who pays dearest in the end?
Following a crane accident on the rig, Archie and Village must face a full-scale enquiry. Heather is quite taken with Chris's long-lost brother.
Pressure testing problems cause trouble on the Osprey and tension mounts when some of the crew are forced to take a five per cent pay cut. Cinders is furious and sparks are flying at Greenacres too, where Izzy walks out leaving Tom in charge of the boarding house.
Love is in the air as the promise of romance touches several of the crew.
After an accident on the rig, work stops and the crew takes a break in Norway.