Total Control

After dethroning Prime Minister Rachel Anderson, Alex Irving faces the reality of her alliance with opposition leader Laurie Martin - she'll be standing for the party in a seat far from her home town of Winton, and she'll be taking orders from Martin and his enigmatic offsider, Indigenous politician Paul Murphy. Back in Winton, Alex's son Eddie rebels against a world he's come to view as hostile and unfair. While her brother Charlie, whose career ambitions are on hold, packs up their late mother's house. But when a tragedy strikes close to home, Alex realises the people of her community need someone to represent their interests in the corridors of power. And Rachel, may have been deposed from the top job and disendorsed by new Prime Minister Damien Bauer but in Alex's declaration of independence Rachel sees a possible way forward for herself. The bitch isn't dead yet.

Alex returns to Winton knowing she has a lot of bridges to rebuild if she's going to have any hope of representing her home town. She starts by enlisting a reluctant Charlie to be her campaign manager. Charlie brings his own team: numbers wonk Leo Jacobs and outspoken comms specialist Joely McKinnon. Together they go about forging a new kind of politics - community-led, independently financed and ferociously local. And it works. Meanwhile, Rachel Anderson finds herself the subject of attention from maverick political advisor Nick Pearce. And with his encouragement, Rachel makes her own declaration of independence from the party that dumped her, and issues an invitation to Alex to face her on live TV. Is this a very public showdown between the two arch enemies, engineered by Rachel in an attempt to stay relevant? Or is this the start of something very different?

Alex's campaign is gaining momentum. But success on the trail brings out the big political guns against her, with charismatic local politician Jack Ramsay hitting the hustings and the local media falling in line behind him. Alex has always been a lightning rod for abuse, but the threats against her, both online and in real life, are growing. When she finds herself the subject of an anonymous complaint to child services and their house is attacked by thugs in the night, she realises her entire family is at risk. The campaign for Freeman is built on personal integrity but Alex's opponents are fighting dirty. How can she possibly defend herself? Rachel's bid for re-election gets a boost when she has the chance to publicly face down the man who dumped her from the party.

It's judgement day for Alex and her team as the nation heads to the polls. When Eddie fails to show up for a photo call at the polling booth, Alex is furious with him. It seems like an act of teenage rebellion but a threatening message left at her house points to something far more sinister. The campaign is set aside as Alex and her supporters search desperately for her son. When the authorities issue an amber alert, a vicious troll seizes on the opportunity to twist the knife. With Alex's election hopes in chaos, Rachel takes matters into her own hands and makes a very public appeal. Is it an olive branch or a calculated play? With Rachel, there are always strings attached.

Alex, the newly elected member for Freeman, controls the balance of power in the Australian parliament, along with a group of five other Independents - including Rachel. If they can work together, they'll get to decide who becomes the next Prime Minister of Australia. So, Alex and Rachel return to Canberra as political equals and unlikely allies. But with Damien Bauer and Laurie Martin both making their own plays for power, Alex and Rachel must work quickly to organise their fellow Independents. Alex finds a surprising ally in Paul Murphy, but the loyalty between the Independents is shaky, and Rachel - with help from the opportunistic Nick -ì is playing her own game. Leo finally uncovers the identity of Alex's troll and he's someone in her political sphere. So, while the country waits to find out who will be the next Prime Minister, Alex sets out to confront the man who made her life hell.

With Laurie and Damien circling and the media following their every move, the Independents are under increasing pressure to declare their support. Alex does her best to hold their alliance together but Damien appears to have the upper hand. One by one, the Independents fall away, leaving Rachel and Alex to play out their final moves. Rachel's been playing a double game this whole time. But does she also have the last piece Alex needs to instate her preferred candidate as Prime Minister? With Alex on the cusp of changing the country's politics forever, the forces of violence and reaction make one last bloody attempt to stop her, leading to a final confrontation on the floor of Parliament itself