Josephine's husband, Callum, has failed to deliver on his promise to stop disappearing to far-flung corners of the Earth in pursuit of his various causes so she can have her turn at a career, and they're in the throes of separation. Her daughter, Lydia, is fifteen years old and blames her mother for everything. Josephine can't see how her domestic life can get much worse — so what does she have to lose by going back to the Bar?
Josephine is handed the reins in a case petitioning hormone treatment for a transgender child, leaving Callum to look after Lydia. While her father rallies his troops at a bushland protest, Lydia finds herself at the controls of the developer's earthmover and unwittingly becomes a newsworthy eco-warrior with criminal charges to defend. Josephine wrangles Helena into briefing Lewis to defend Lydia.