Like the previous episode of The Governor, this instalment opens across the ditch, with dogged explorer Edward Eyre (Jeremy Stephens) on an arduous walk across the central Australian desert. Much to Governor Grey's annoyance, Eyre is made his New Zealand Lieutenant and a showdown ensues; Eyre hungers for "real" work but Grey strands him in "earthquake ridden" Wellington to handle a fractious group of settlers agitating for representation. Janice Finn (who later produced fashion soap Gloss) plays Adelaide, Eyre's unsupportive fiancée. The episode is the second directed by National Film Unit veteran Hugh Macdonald.