Episode 1 kicks off with Dani Oxley (portrayed by Kara Tointon) and Bel Clarke (Lila Coleman) vigorously preparing their students for an exhilarating week filled with the thrills of sailing and mountain climbing. While Dani exudes enthusiasm, Bel seems far less excited, her disquiet amplified during a fleeting exchange with Robert Caulfield (played by John Nayagam), which hints at the continued absence of Zac Webster (Cal O’Driscoll) and Sienna Ryan (Joni Morris). As Bel conducts another roll call, Dani slips away momentarily to exchange a frosty, yet purposeful, conversation with Tim Oxley (Emmett J. Scanlan), ensuring he is mentally prepared for bonding time with his son, Stan Oxley (Callum Jess).
The arrival of Jimmy (Will Mellor) and Matt Spenser (Forrest Bothwell) serves to alleviate some of the tension in the air, but mere moments later, Dani finds herself dashing Sienna into the art room. Sienna mirrors Bel's lack of excitement for the trip, yet agrees to go along with the plan out of obligation.
Meanwhile, Nina Webster (Niamh McCann) bids a poignant farewell to Zac, just as Dani and Sienna board the bus. Pulling Dani aside, Nina inquiries about a rift brewing between Matt and Zac. Although Dani can't shed any more light on the matter, she vows to discreetly delve into the situation.
With a swift introduction to their rugged wilderness guide, Shane, the day melts into night, finding some students gathered around a crackling campfire while others seek the solace of cozy cabins. Jimmy offers no further insights into the Matt-Zac spat, but Matt's aggression becomes crystal clear. Later under the starlit sky, Dani and Jimmy share a nightcap and a tender kiss, which she gently halts before emotions run too deep.
Jimmy intends to apologize to Dani over breakfast, acknowledging his aggression from the previous night, yet he concurrently extends an invitation for another encounter. Dani, however, makes it clear that she cannot betray Tim's trust, redirecting her focus to organizing a team-building exercise among the students. This decision inadvertently leads her to uncover that Matt and Zac are conspicuously absent. She tracks them down just as their heated confrontation over Sienna is about to turn violent. Though Dani swiftly intervenes to halt the altercation momentarily, she finds herself stepping in once more during the team-building activity.
Matt's desperate cheating to secure victory sits uneasily with Zac, and his relentless taunting only fuels the tensions further. Amidst these unfolding dramas, Dani receives persistent texts from Jimmy, urging her to join him at the boathouse. Eventually, she entrusts Matt with charge and steps away.
The encounter between Jimmy and Dani swiftly intensifies, and upon her return, she discovers her students indulging in inappropriate behavior—vaping and throwing rocks. After confiscating the devices, she notices Zac's absence and realizes no one knows his whereabouts. With growing concern, Dani instructs the students to return to the center while she searches for Zac. By the time she rejoins them, her anxiety is palpable, and involving the others seems to exacerbate her distress.
Together with Jimmy, they return to the kayaks, noticing one is missing and finding Zac's hat, leading them to the water where Zac, tragically, appears to have drowned. Initially emotional, Dani slips into a near-catatonic state, prompting Bel and Jimmy to comfort the students and explain the situation. Matt, in particular, takes the news extremely hard.
As time passes, Dani contemplates reaching out to Nina but ultimately follows Jimmy's advice to leave it to the police. When questioned later by DI Sowerby (Karen Henthorn), Dani manages to maintain her composure, omitting any mention of her time with Jimmy. Fortunately, it seems Sowerby harbors no suspicions.
In this vivid retelling, the tension and emotions are heightened, painting a more immersive picture of the events that unfold.
As time elapses, a sequence of memorials, counseling sessions, and police investigations unfolds, yet an eerie semblance of normalcy begins to resurface. Dani encounters a minor setback when summoned for a meeting with the school board, during which she omits mentioning her company with Jimmy at the fateful moment when Zac drowned. The situation takes a turn for the worse when Jimmy, later on, broaches the idea of coming clean about their whereabouts. Though she manages, with considerable persuasion, to convince him to keep silent for the time being, the encounter leaves her burdened with an even heavier sense of guilt. This guilt is further compounded in a fleeting encounter with Nina, who, in her own way, expresses gratitude for Dani's presence during Zac's final moments. The episode concludes with haunting footage of Dani and Jimmy's intimate encounter at the boathouse, a poignant reminder of the day Zac's life was tragedy cut short.
