Dr Turner is horrified to realise he may be partly to blame as the cause of the recent rise in birth deformities comes to light, and tries to prevent further cases. Sister Evangelina returns to work, but has clearly been affected badly by her stroke, and her health continues to deteriorate. A pregnant bride goes into labour during her wedding reception, while her mother is forced to come to terms with her grandchild being conceived out of wedlock.

Dr Turner gets involved with a troubled young man, and Lucille makes new friends. Meanwhile, Barbara lies ill in hospital.

The team must rally to prepare for Sister Monica Joan's birthday. Meanwhile, the closing of a nearby maternity home brings an influx of expectant mothers to the Nonnatus midwives.

Nonnatus House faces its darkest day after a tragic incident in the heart of Poplar. As the community rallies together, the team must overcome personal anguish to help the injured.

Poplar is rocked by a series of violent attacks on women, and a prostitute is too ashamed to report what she knows - but her actions lead to a dangerous man roaming the streets, with devastating consequences for the residents of Nonnatus House. A mother tries to keep her daughter's pregnancy a secret to avoid gossip, putting her life in danger. The Turners go on a long overdue holiday, but the weather ruins their plans.

An unexpected turn of events leads to a wedding being hastily arranged. Shelagh finally goes into labour. The arrival of the pill leads to unforeseen consequences.

Nonnatus House welcomes a new recruit, Nurse Valerie Dyer. A vulnerable young man captures Fred and Violet's hearts, whilst the whereabouts of Sister Mary Cynthia is a concern.

Lucille helps elderly hoarder Clarice Millgrove who is struggling to keep her independence; Sister Hilda and the team work hard to help a Ghanaian family with an undiagnosed illness; Violet puts herself forward in the upcoming elections.

Dr Turner and Nurse Crane must deal with an alarming outbreak of diphtheria. Fred finds an abandoned baby in a dustbin, and the team must help locate its mother.

At the Turners, Shelagh receives a phone call from the Hong Kong adoption agency, which has the alarming news that someone from May's past has arrived in the UK and wants to see the little girl.

Sister Julienne decides it is time to take matters in hand when a letter arrives from the council saying that it will cut funding to Nonnatus House and no longer pay for the accommodation, and goes to see Violet at one of her open sessions as a local councillor.

Nonnatus House struggles to come to terms with Nancy’s revelation. With Sister Julienne taking her annual leave at the Mother House, Sister Hilda relishes the chance to cover and impress with her leadership. While attending an expectant mother, Sister Frances and Trixie are appalled to learn that Poplar’s housing crisis is worsening, leaving the Nonnatus team vowing to fight for change. It’s a poignant time for the Turner family as Timothy readies to leave for medical school in Edinburgh and Cyril receives news from home, prompting him and Lucille to consider their own future. Meanwhile, a very special baby is born, who causes a rift in a close-knit family and leads many people to count their blessings.

Nonnatus House suffers its biggest threat yet. But this time it’s not the bricks and mortar that are in danger, it’s the people.

Barbara faces her most challenging case to date when she treats first-time mother Abigail Bissette and the birth does not go according to plan. As Sister Julienne struggles with the increasing financial pressure on Nonnatus House, a mystery benefactor comes to the rescue. Elsewhere Sister Evangelina is unimpressed by newly arrived nurse Phyllis Crane.

When a baby is born with severe deformities of the kind later identified as caused by the drug thalidomide, the midwives find it difficult to handle the situation, and the baby's father rejects her completely, to his wife's dismay. Trixie's new sideline as a keep fit instructor brings her into conflict with Sister Julienne, and she also becomes suspicious of the relationship between Barbara and Tom. Rather than return to Wales as her mother wishes, Delia moves into Nonnatus House.

Dr Turner helps the Mullucks cope with the stresses of caring for a disabled child as the terrible legacy of thalidomide becomes apparent and Nurse Crane faces an unexpected crisis.

Sister Hilda digs deep to give her terminally-ill patient her final wish whilst the Turners must prepare to say goodbye to May. Fred and Reggie are keeping secrets from each other.

Sister Frances is at a loss when she cares for diabetic and recovering cancer patient Albert Calthorpe whose fiercely independent wife Grace refuses to accept further help, despite caring for her husband, her elderly mother and her pregnant daughter.

Sister Hilda and Dr Turner support a young father with a lung condition whose wife is planning a home birth, and discover he is also coping with the repercussions of a past trauma. Cyril looks for a job that will put his qualifications to good use, a first-time mother struggles to bond with her daughter, and Fred comes up with a way to keep the wards cool during a summer heatwave.

A new girl arrives Nonnatus House and finds it hard to earn the respect of Sister Evangelina. Jenny sees an unfamiliar darker side of life following an encounter with a runaway.

Jenny does some district nursing to extend her community practice experience and befriends an old soldier with awful leg ulcers. Trixie and Cynthia enrol Winnie Lawson as a new patient.

When Chummy's imperious mother visits and disapproves of Peter Noakes, Chummy defies her mother and has her wedding on her own terms. Senile Sister Monica Joan is arrested for shoplifting.

A chance encounter with an impoverished child forces Trixie to see an unfamiliar darker side of life. As Nonnatus House welcomes a new resident, Nurse Barbara Gilbert, Tom Hereward has a surprise romantic gesture in store for Trixie.

Sister Julienne's faith is challenged when a mother refuses medicine for her newborn baby. Dr Turner's involvement in the case forces him to face his own demons. Meanwhile, Barbara must work out a way to communicate with a pregnant Sylheti woman.

Trixie and Sister Mary Cynthia help a deaf-and-dumb woman, and Barbara has a baffling case. Meanwhile, Fred's daughter arrives from Birmingham and interferes with his and Violet's engagement, and Delia has a proposal for Patsy.