Head Librarian Frances O'Brien's world is turned upside down when a government bureaucrat Xavier Fisher rules that public libraries are to turn a profit or face closure.
With the help of Father Harris, Frances settles Pearl into a nursing home. To pay for Pearl's new accommodation at Gentle Pines, Frances needs to sell her mother's house - and fast.
Frances meets Indigo the 'new age' real estate agent who is going to sell Pearl's house. Back at the library, Christine sets up a major fundraising initiative that promises to make a lot of money.
Pearl's nursing home, Gentle Pines, is hounding Frances for payment, money Frances doesn't have. But if she doesn't pay up, Pearl will end up living at the O'Brien house.
A security guard catches Frances and Christine trying to steal the fundraising money from the library. What could drive them to such desperate measures?
The library is a hub of activity for Senior Citizens Day. Ky is busy conducting video interviews for an oral history project and Christine is manning the Devonshire tea stand. With the tour guide waylaid, Neil steps in to lead a group of seniors on a historical walk of Middleton.
The library fundraising thermometer has hit rock bottom since the closure of Showbiz Video. Xavier Fisher orders immediate cutbacks at the library and Frances must fire three staff members.
