Bush fires are ringing the township of Mount Thomas and Maggie and Wayne are out evacuating farm houses in the path of the inferno, but this routine job suddenly turns dangerous when they are confronted by a masked man brandishing a shotgun. Maggie and Wayne overcome the offender and take him into custody. Back at the station he is quickly identified as one of three bandits who held up St. David's bank the previous day. The prisoner proves to be uncooperative. He refuses to give his name or those of his accomplices and in an unguarded moment, he swallows a handful of thumbtacks. Although Mt. Thomas Hospital is presently under renovations, there is still a skeleton staff there and the bandit is rushed into emergency surgery under the care of Dr. Zoe Hamilton. Wayne is duped into giving up his gun and uniform by one of the bandits posing as a hostage. Maggie goes to the hospital to discover someone else dressed in Wayne's clothes. She plays it cool and attempts to put a call through to t