Felix is in dilemma. Alec is trying to prepare him for the day he will take over the farm and he can't bring himself to tell him that's not what he wants. Meanwhile, Mr. Tremayne has assigned him to take special care of an obnoxious guest.
A drama competition causes tempers to flare when Hetty replaces Janet as the lead in her play with the well-known (but arrogant) actress Isabelle Carrington.
Alec struggles to finish harvesting the hay before the rain comes, and is assisted by a mysterious young stranger named Caleb. Other strangers enter the plot as the truth about Caleb's past unfolds.
A visiting politician courts Alec to run for office, while Felix becomes involved in a scandal when things begin to go missing from the White Sands Hotel.
As penance for a careless accident he caused, Hetty orders Davey to perform three good deeds, the first being directed towards Jasper Dale. despite his best intentions, Davey causes another accident, this time with exciting results.
Gus is promoted to assistant manager at the hotel, and asks Felicity to marry him. Felicity has just been accepted to medical school, and wants to wait until she is finished her studies, but Gus feels he's waited long enough already.
The townspeople are put off by the free-spirited ways of the new minister and his family. Aunt Hetty is especially perturbed when Sara takes an interest in the minister's son.