Kindly, ever-cheerful caretaker Derek Noakes introduces himself and the hard-working staff of the nursing home where they are employed.

When the authorities cite bureaucratic budge cuts as a reason to lay off the staff and transfer the residents, Hannah, Dougie and Derek fight back.

Derek overindulges at his 50th birthday party; a rebellious teenage thief doing community service at the home discovers the power of self-respect.

The staff endure a painful loss that inspires Hannah and Tom to begin considering their on-again, off-again relationship in a more serious light.

A cabaret-style talent show at the home features Derek and pals as a familiar eighties pop band and an aspiring rapper who gains respect for his elders.

Derek's estranged father appears and wants to reconnect with the son he abandoned in childhood, but Derek uncharacteristically refuses to forgive him.