Brian enlists CCR geologist Megan Kerr to head up a crisis-management team. She pulls together an unlikely group from both sides of the fence, including, veteran mining engineer Max Mees, union delegate Shane Bevic, and a feisty environmentalist, Caz Cohen

With the nickel mine back on track and the bank's foreclosure action briefly averted, Brian finds that CCR's revived 19th century gold mine is under threat when concerns are raised about a nearby creek. Locals and environmentalists are pressuring for its closure.

A potentially disastrous accident at CCR's ageing South Australian copper mine highlights the need for its urgent upgrade and also to find new copper.

The team attend an annual West Australian mining forum, complete with bikini-clad barmaids much to Max and Shane's delight. Brian finds himself called away to CCR's new gas field to deal with a fresh water bore the local Indigenous community fears will harm its sacred sites. With the gas project stalled until the issue is resolved, Caz and Max join Brian to retest the area in hope of finding an alternative site for the bore. Meanwhile back at the forum, Megan - whose private feelings for Brian are becoming harder to contain - finds herself babysitting CCR's Indian customer, Mangalore Power, with whom they are currently negotiating the already badly-delayed gas deal. If a solution isn't found soon, Megan fears they will lose the order. After an anonymous tip-off, Megan and Brian discover that a rival company has been trying to entice Mangalore Power away from CCR, with once again the evidence pointing to Brian's father-in-law.

Brian is urgently recalled to London amidst a hostile foreign take-over threat to AEL, seemingly implicating his father-in-law for once and all which could close CCR for good. Before Brian goes, Megan acknowledges her feelings for him and the difficulty she is having dealing with them.

Having finally unmasked and confronted the hostile boardroom faction, Brian helps fight the foreign take-over bid in a desperate attempt to save both AEL and CCR - not to mention his own job. Meanwhile an unknown radical environmental group called Earth Warriors, threatens the opening of CCR's gold mine. With little to go on and the hours ticking down, Megan, Max, Shane and Caz urgently try to avert the threatened sabotage whilst reassuring a wary Hong Kong bank. Megan finally discovers why she can never find copper and in doing so, realises that she may actually hold the key to CCR's very future. And just when it seems Megan and Brian will finally discuss their feeling for each other, a serious road accident in the UK, sends Brian rushing back to join his wife Tess, at their daughter's hospital bedside.