Fireflies

The smell of smoke and Lost River is enveloped in an eerie haze. Newcomer to the town, Lill, is anxious. Her husband Perry is at work and she is out alone on their 25-hectare once weekender. She doesn’t know how far away the fire is and doesn’t want to look a fool by calling for help. Finally a neighbour visits Lill’s house and re-assures her that the fire is 15km away and has been brought under control. But that night, Lill can’t sleep. She gets up and follows the glow of the distant fire. Eventually finding it beside the road north of town, she watches the amazing firies in action. Lill realises that belonging and surviving in this community means belonging to the RFS. The community of Lost River needs volunteers, the small town heroes without whom so many country towns would wither and die. There’s the captain, “Backa” Burke, everybody’s mate. There’s Joey, Mr Responsibility, with a serious demeanour that belies his youth. There’s Joey’s gorgeous girlfriend Fifi, a member of the notorious Sharp family, a family who knows no fear. There’s the equipment officer, silent Eris with the angelic singing voice. There’s lads and lasses and blokes in their 50s. Then Old Peg Beecher smashes her car and needs a lift to her CWA meeting, and the only one who can do it is Lill. Lill expected that being part of the community would be hard work, but she didn’t know you had to be a saint to even make a start! Meanwhile, the fire that they thought was put out is still smouldering, and Lill’s worst nightmare comes true. Even one bad fire can kill-but this time they’ll be fighting on two fronts.

The Fireflies continue their work to fight against the raging fire.

Lost River is in recovery from a devastating fire that nearly took the lives of some of their best firefighters and local farmers. Perry struggles to come to terms with the loss of his home, while Lill and his daughter Taz rival for his attention. Meanwhile tension mounts between Joey and Fifi over Fifi’s actions concerning their baby. Luisa learns that her secret love affair with the local cop Mike, is no longer a secret. It all comes to a head when Rebekah Sharp turns up and announces that Luisa’s husband Eris was inside a fire truck engulfed by flames. Suddenly Luisa realises that a lot more people know about her affair than she thought. She rushes to be with Eris who is feeling lost and alone. Backa is trying to deliver on his promise to be “there” for his wife Svettie, but his fire crew has been traumatised and there’s counselling to be done.

Gossip is spreading like wildfire through town about the fire brigade officer Eris Parsons shooting his dog. Eris and his wife Luisa aren’t around to set the record straight, they’ve gone into hiding. Seems like everyone in Lost River has something they’re trying to escape from. Svettie is trying not to drown in her problems. Her husband’s uncle Jeff is holding the purse strings of her family’s finances and she’s tired of husband Backa not standing up for her. She runs away to a seaside hotel for a night of something she desperately needs; pampering. While she’s away Backa must juggle his family and work life with the captaincy of the Lost River Rural Fire Brigade and it’s no easy task. Backa’s younger brother Joey has returned to Lost River for Fifi and their unborn baby. But things aren’t the same anymore and the couple can’t seem to connect. Joey retreats to a caravan in order to figure his life out. Meanwhile children’s book illustrator Lill is finding it increasingly difficult to reconcile work with the commitments that come with being part of the Lost River community and when her business partner KC arrives from Sydney, Lill realises she can’t escape. But there are other distractions in the form of firefighting and after accompanying Backa to the scene of a potentially dangerous fire Lill is hooked.

One of the realities of living in the bush is making the best out of a bad situation, which Lill and Perry are learning to do fast. Their shed has been overrun with rats, Perry is working on rebuilding their dream house after it was destroyed by fire and Lill struggles to meet an urgent work deadline in the surrounding chaos. It seems the world is conspiring against her. A regular commitment to drive Peg Beecher on a couple of errands turns into a lengthy nightmare when Peg falls sick and needs to get to a hospital. Backa is down at the station to receive the brigade's new fire truck. He is worried about crew numbers and pushes fire control officer Bryce to do a Basic Firefighting Course so Lill and the other recruits are trained up before the bush fire danger period really hits. Uncle Jeff has seized control of Backa and Svettie's finances and insists that Svettie undergo a weekly inquisition on the books. She comes up with a plan to make money so she can get her family out of Jeff's clutches. For this she needs the help of friends Sharpie and Rebekah, but it's not without risk. Fifi attempts a reconciliation with Joey but he's still confused by her previous behaviour and turns her away. Alone in her room, Fifi contemplates life as a single mother and how it will affect her future.

Backa and Svettie each have a vision for their financial future. Unfortunately they are vastly different. And they are both about to make a deal with the devil. Svettie wants to invest in a marijuana crop with Sharpie but for now, she's keeping it a secret from her husband. Sharpie is less than thrilled with the prospect of going into business with an inexperienced mother of two and sets out to train her in the art of Basic Dope Growing. Things look set to fall apart when a local cop gets wind of what they're up to. Backa has his own training project to manage: Basic Fire Fighting for the new Lost River firies, but he has other things on his mind too. Backa's got that stuck feeling: he's living in a shop when he was born for the land. Taking the initiative to realise his dream, he pays a visit to Uncle Jeff to cut a deal over the family property - but he's keeping it a secret too. For Lill, the fire fighting course gives her a glimpse of the service she has joined and she's not sure if she's cut out for it. While Lill's away learning how to fight fires, Perry continues to rebuild his cave, the mud brick masterpiece. Patto is onsite to help with the job but it's not all smooth sailing. When Patto tries to teach Perry a few tips of the trade, tempers flare.

Fifi has to deal with her unpredictable brother Hank who has just returned from prison and has a different story to tell to everyone he meets. But it's Fifi he's most interested in and when he visits her at work she's again reminded of what a different person she's become since he left. Back at home the Sharp family try to welcome this free radical element as Hank tries to wheedle his way back into Fifi's life. Later that night she finds herself in an unexpected kiss with Joey. Lill and Perry are trying hard to deal with Taz, Perry's moody teenage daughter who's arrived for the holidays. She's travelled with Hank on the bus up to Lost River and has heard his stories of brutal prison life. She clashes with Lill over everything and confronts her father with her palpable distaste for her stepmother. In his Fox Cove office, Perry begins Anger Management sessions with Hank and is soon alerted to the strange pathology that consumes him. Lill prepares for the fire controlled Hazard Reduction but is unprepared for the discovery she makes when she and Svettie clean out Peg's house. Left on her own she finds a hatbox of letters that bring up a traumatic, damaging event in her own life. An argument with Taz leads to her confiding in Perry and eventually to confronting Peg. Backa struggles with the responsibilities of a dangerous burn-off and the knowledge that his deal with his Uncle Jeff may well betray his brother. Every little thing seems to go wrong on the day. Backa is left with a headache and a sinking feeling that his problems will re-emerge. It's only a matter of time.

The Lost River rodeo could be the last throw of the dice for Backa and Svettie's shop. Stocked up for their biggest annual trading day, they hope to pay off their immediate debt and avoid the bank foreclosing, but the news of fires down south keeps Backa and Svettie stretched between hope and despair. Confronted with imminent failure, Backa finally tells Svettie about his deal with Uncle Jeff - a job, a home and a future, under Uncle Jeff's roof and his control. The foretaste of disaster opens them to each other, but neither can see a happy ending for the family. Taz wants a driving lesson but Perry is busy and suggests she practice by herself on the property. After an argument, Taz drives off towards town. She returns in shock, telling Perry she has knocked over a cowboy. Perry takes control of the situation and they search for any sign of a person being run down but find only a cowboy hat. They search the rodeo ground and call the hospital - no injuries have been reported. Perry's not sure what to believe. With Backa busy at the shop, Joey, Fifi and Lill work the rodeo car park, a traditional firies' fundraiser. When the town girls ask Joey whether he is on the market, Fifi takes it as an opportunity to tease. Even Luisa revs up Joey with a bit of flirting. Joey is as confused as ever by Fifi's behaviour, until they kiss and make up. Uncle Jeff brings the bad news of fires; the roads are closed, the rodeo is cancelled and it seems like Backa and Svettie have no choice but to accept his deal or leave Lost River. But while Backa goes to the rodeo ground to tell Joey, Svettie negotiates a dangerous loan from Sharpie and convinces Backa the money has come from selling off milking machine parts stored in their shed.

In a last bid attempt to save her failing shop and keep her family together Svettie has borrowed a large amount of cash from a loan shark. But she's keeping it a secret from Backa, telling him the sudden injection of funds has come from the sale of some milking machinery stored in their back shed. Now they're on easy street, for a while at least. In a mood to celebrate Backa and Svettie have the best day they've had in months, even years! The day soon heats up toward boiling point. At the Sharp's a lazy summer barbecue descends into chaos. Eldest son Hank has returned to Lost River and he's ready to cause as much trouble as possible - especially for Fifi. Hank can't forgive the fact that his younger sister is now all grown up and responsible and pushes to find the bad girl he farewelled when he went to jail three years ago. When Rolly Patterson arrives mid-party and makes a beeline for Fifi it seems Hank might get to see the old Fifi after all. There are others for Hank to 'play' with too, in the shape of Kieran and his girlfriend Noodle and when Perry's daughter Taz turns up, it's open season... Perry and Lill arrive at the scene to pick up a distraught Taz and it leaves Perry with a sinking feeling. Is he ready to become a parent the second time around? For Lill, one of the core promises of their relationship has been broken.

It's the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and the fourth anniversary of the death of Jeff's teenage son Damien. It's always been a long day for Jeff and today is no different as he wakes with a feeling of dread and sadness. Things only get worse when Damien's old girlfriend Fifi arrives at the house to present Jeff with Damien's battered old guitar which she's held on to for all this time. Jeff receives the guitar in bad grace and continues to alienate the remaining family he has around him - particularly Joey, who asks Jeff if he can have some cattle he has been promised. Jeff refuses his nephew's request, as always, in an attempt to control his destiny. However, with a little strategic advice and help from older brother Backa, Joey takes back what is rightly his. On a mission from hell, Jeff clashes bitterly with Svettie insisting that young Carter is sent to boarding school instead of the local Fox Cove High. But Svettie is resolute; she wants her son beside her always. Meanwhile Lill is doing her best to avoid her own relationship problems. She abandons her home for the day, seeking a bit of light relief with the Lost River firies, particularly Joey. Perry is also struggling with his relationship and takes his tension out on his P.A.

In the midst of the Lost River Christmas carols, Backa gets a call. A Section 44 has been declared in Shoalhaven and Backa is asked to join a strike team travelling down to help fight the fires. Despite Svettie's unease and Carter's misery at his father leaving, Backa decides to take a crew. It doesn't take long to find volunteers - Joey, Eris, Luisa and Kieran are eager to depart. Lill, realising that seventy-two hours away would give her a break from Perry, is suddenly ready to sign up too. As the Lost River fire brigade prepares for a long hot Christmas away, their families prepare to celebrate as best they can without their loved ones. Svettie can't shake off a feeling of impending doom and it's only made worse when Sharpie informs her their cash crop is dying from lack of rain. They devise a plan to get much needed water to their plantation, but it's one that involves 'borrowing' a big red fire truck. The Lost River brigade is keen for action, but when they arrive down south, they're told to stand by and wait. With a bit of time on their hands, it is the action off the fire ground that is the focus of attention, and there is a surprise moment of passion between two of our favourite firies. Some strategic planning pays off for Backa when the Lost River crew is able to save property and lives.

After battling huge fires down the south coast, the firies return to Lost River. They might have been away for Christmas but they're determined to make up for it when they get home. Joey is on a mission, looking for steady work. He finds a job as a deck hand with the owner of a fishing trawler. After a few nights out at sea the two men bond and Joey gets some invaluable advice from his new boss that may help to turn his life around. He decides to give it one more try with Fifi and goes to her with a definite plan. Meanwhile, Fifi's career in the Rural Fire Service is under threat when she discovers that Sharpie and Svettie 'borrowed' a fire truck to water their cash crop. Backa smells a rat and gives Fifi a grilling. Will she give up her father and Svettie? Lill rushes home to be with Perry and get their relationship back on track, however, she's still hurt and subconsciously pushes him away, and he knows it; especially once he realises his wife is spending more time with the fire brigade than with him. When Backa and Lill are rostered on to do some routine work down at the station, what is meant to be a 30-minute job turns into an eternity when they are called out to a motor vehicle accident. Perry is drunk and angry when Lill returns home. Life is getting complicated. Word is out that developers are coming over the rise with a plan to build a giant golf course and resort and everyone must face the fact that their town may be changed forever.

Lill's newly published children's book arrives and she prepares to test it out on the kids of Lost River. Surrounded by children at play and talking through issues of motherhood with her female friends, Lill is forced to confront her desire for a child. But it's Perry who brings the matter out into the open when he asks Lill an important question about their relationship. Sharpie and Rebekah decide to get Joey and Fifi a new bed now that Joey has moved in with the Sharps. Sharpie does a deal with an old mate and scams a free bed for them. The 'honeymoon' period is short and sweet for Fifi and Joey but with a little peppermint oil, some vinegar and a new set of sheets, they sort themselves out and clear the air. The Twelfth Green Developments group holds a public meeting to address community concerns about the golf course and resort intended for Lost River. Backa and Svettie want to work with the developers, claiming the project will bring economic benefit to the town. Perry, Lill and especially Eris have a different take on the matter though, questioning the motives and plans of the consortium. Backa and Eris begin a public argument over the future of their town and community. But the two men have a reality check when they are called out to investigate a gas smell. What they discover puts everything into perspective.