As the curtain rises on the premiere episode of "Black Snow," Isabel Baker (portrayed by Talijah Blackman-Corowa) pedals her bicycle frantically towards a nearby phone booth. As her fingers grapple with dialing, a vehicle looms into view and halts directly before her, causing her to abandon the receiver in haste. In contemporary scenes, Cormack (embodied by Travis Fimmel) engages in a claw game, emerging victorious with a tiny stuffed whale as his prize. Over drinks with his companion, Cormack challenges him to a peculiar task before stepping outside, where he offers payment for a few punches. Cormack eggs Frank on to put some real effort into it. After the assault, Frank derides Cormack as eccentric and departs. Cormack, tears streaming down his face, belts out "Happy Birthday" to his whale companion.
The subsequent day, Cormack heads to the Queensland Police Station, where he is stationed in the cold case unit. His supervisor notices the bruises marring his visage, quipping that he must have forgotten his safe word. She then breaks the news that another cold case has been cracked. Cormack casts a glance at the picture of Erin Kealy perched on his desk. Meanwhile, in Ashford, North Queensland, Hazel (played by Jemmason Power) is halted by a train, prompting her to exit her vehicle and gaze into the sprawling fields. She proceeds to the church, where Kalana is lost in her piano practice. Delighted to see her mother home, Kalana is soon disheartened to learn of her impending seven-day stay. Hazel clarifies she's in Brisbane to forge a brighter future for them. Joe (Jimi Bani) enters, pushing Hazel's mother in a wheelchair, and they defer discussions about the wheelchair to the next day, focusing instead on Isabel's matters. Joe leads the family in prayer.
At Ashford High, the townsfolk gear up to unveil their time capsule. Chloe Walcott (brought to life by Brooke Satchwell) is introduced by her mother, having played a pivotal role in its assembly. Chloe expresses her desire to pay homage to Isabel Baker, whose idea the project originally was. Victor Bianchi (portrayed by Rob Carlton) assists in opening the capsule. Chloe begins by retrieving copies of "Thelma & Louise" from its depths. She recounts 1994, her first car purchase, and spontaneous road trips. Hector, meanwhile, had fancied himself a renowned game developer, married to Alyssa Milano, though his reality now includes a partner of the same sex.Anton, portrayed by Alexander England, harbored dreams of leading a Martian colony by 2019, though he concedingly foresaw himself perhaps merely managing a farm instead. He envisioned sharing a life with Izzy, anticipating the arrival of three children by that year. Meanwhile, Hazel, in a fit of apparent madness, slammed her wristband against her wrist and abandoned her family, resorting to a few drops of Sertraline HCL to soothe her tumultuous emotions.
Kalana, played by Eden Cassady, perused a letter from Isabel, who revealed the impending transformation in her life and her upcoming journey. She mused that despite her expectations of returning to Ashford in 2019, she foresaw the town remaining infested with predators masquerading as friends. She confessed to having entrusted individuals who, she realized, thrived on suffering, vowing to expose their cruelty once she was beyond their reach – assuming they didn't silence her first.
Flashing back to November 1994, Isabel and Hazel engaged in a conversation about Anton, Isabel's beau. Isabel kept a stash of money hidden beneath her bed, while her father paused to commend her on earning a scholarship on her way out. She joined her sister outside, greeting Aunty Rosa as they strolled towards school. Hazel teased Izzy about Mick's lingering affection, to which Izzy dismissed it as mere friendship.
At school, Isabel confirmed to Chloe that she had secured the funds, cautioning her to keep it hush-hush, fearing her father's wrath. Anton lent a hand to Mrs. Walcott by carrying a box indoors, though it didn't exempt him from detention. Chloe and Isabel skipped school to await someone elsewhere, and when Mick arrived, they informed him they had a maximum of two hours. They ventured to a dubious location to purchase a van for their road trips, with Mick acknowledging the reasonable price but warning of the inherent risks.
As they drove back in their newly acquired van, Isabel and Chloe marveled at the imminent adventure, contemplating the absurdity of hitting the road in mere weeks. Isabel pondered sending a postcard to her parents but was steadfast in her determination. Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived as the van broke down shortly after. Isabel made it back home to her sister's side.
In the present, Hazel noticed police officers carting away the time capsule. As the box was transported to the station, Hazel and her family sought solace in each other's presence at home.Five days hence, James embarks on his investigation into Isabel's enigmatic case, a date indelibly inked on his arm in the form of a tattoo: "03-12-94." Driven by an insatiable curiosity, he persuades his boss to assign him to the case, his earnest pleadings finally convincing her. Upon gaining approval, James makes his way to Isabel's gravesite, a somber prelude to his detective work.
At the precinct, he crosses paths with Troy Turner (Kim Gyngell), and together they head to a local pub to procure some beers, courtesy of Tasha (Kestie Morassi). It is here, amidst the camaraderie, that James gleans crucial information about Steve Walcott (Erik Thomson), the mill owner who footed their drinks' bill. Troy dismisses Isabel's letter as the ravings of a hormonal, vexed teenager, pointing out the absence of witnesses, a primary crime scene, or a murder weapon. Intrigued, James probes further into Troy's theory, prompting a return to the station.
Troy recounts that Isabel had attended her school's year 12 formal on the fateful night. Close to the event's conclusion, she stepped outside to guide someone in a blue station wagon. Her friend Chloe witnessed this encounter and recalled the vehicle's interstate plates. Post-formal, the girls parted ways at Riley Street T-intersection, Chloe turning left while Isabel ventured right. Troy surmises that Isabel walked solo to her house, where she met her fate. Despite the scarcity of CCTV cameras at that time, an ATM camera on Main Street captured fleeting footage. They scrutinize the video, which shows the girls' passing, followed closely by a blue station wagon with a distinctive white door. Troy hypothesises that the perpetrator, possibly a seasonal worker transient through the town, waited until Isabel was isolated to abduct her. She fiercely resisted, prompting the killer to strike when she attempted to flee. They conjecture that he dumped her body at the cemetery as he exited the town.
James remains unconvinced that the attack was random, noting the post-mortem haircut on the victim's hair. Troy insists that every conceivable lead converged on the car from the video. Subsequently, James is ushered to the time capsule, where Hector (Fraser Anderson)'s unexpected arrival in detention prompts Anton to jest about getting caught with a camera in the boys' changing rooms. Isabel chides Anton for his callous remark. Tasha's entrance is timed perfectly, as she presents Anton with a freshly made mix tape. Mrs. Walcott interjects with intriguing news about the time capsule, a potential passport out of detention for all.
She imparts her instructions to them, revealing their mission to collaborate with Hector in crafting a visual chronicle of contemporary life in Ashford. Without delay, they commence filming at the skate park, capturing the essence of the moment. Chloe turns to Hector with a request, inquiring whether he can excise a particular segment from the footage – her joint – to spare her mother from witnessing it. Hector reassures her by proposing to craft dual versions of the video, safeguarding their privacy. He intends to present the censored version to her mother and swap the tapes discreetly before it is sealed within the time capsule.
Isabel's involvement is cut short as Joe becomes incurably anxious if she isn't home before dusk descends, heralded by the flickering streetlights. Taking advantage of her mother's absence due to a colleague's sick leave, Isabel tackles the time capsule documentation at home. Once her mother has left for work, she secretly contacts Anton, instructing Hazel to inform their father of a false alibi – studying at Chloe's.
In a secret rendezvous, Isabel and Anton share an intimate encounter, only to be interrupted by the surreal sight of dark snow falling from the sky. Anton confides that future visits to this secret place are impossible due to his father's impending harvest workers. As a token of his affection, he bestows upon her a necklace he specially purchased. Isabel confides in Anton about Chloe's invitation for a summer escapade to Sydney, which stirs jealousy in him, leading him to erroneously conclude that it signals an end to their relationship.
Dale questions James's decision to initiate the time capsule project, mocking its contents as mere relics of the 1990s. James counters by asserting that uncovering the true nature of individuals from the past is the utmost challenge in solving cold cases. As he reads Isabel's youthful missive, Hazel joins him, gaining insight into the time capsule's contents. James extends an offer to make Hazel his primary point of contact, but she politely declines, preferring to let sleeping dogs lie. She expresses no desire to revisit the past. James persists, arguing that Isabel's letter hints at a motive closer to home. While fetching Hazel a cup of tea, James watches from afar as she discovers a strand of Isabel's hair among the time capsule artifacts.
