Debut: A Serial Drama about six female ex-convicts who try to begin new lives at a lakefront inn. First Up: Holly starts her new job as a live-in nursemaid for the Walkers and is raped by Mr. Walker; The next day Holly is fired and accused of kidnapping the Walker's child; Holly is taken to Women's State Prison and becomes acquainted with the women in Maria's english class; Maria remembers a conversation she had with her mother regarding her abusive husband; Crystal is arrested again for prostitution and has a friendly chat with Warden Grayson; Faith hides a tape that was given to her; Holly has a panic attack and runs hysterically through the corridor; Faith confides in Cissie that she might be killed when she is released from prison and gives her the tape; Warden Grayson scolds Holly for her behavior; Faith daydreams of her meeting Harry at a beautiful inn; Rita confronts Holly in the yard; Crystal is processed and put back inside where she gets reacquainted with her old prison mate

Jerry and Chief Carson investigate Faith's murder; The inmates hear of Faith's murder, prompting Cissie to come forward with incriminating evidence; Patricia offers to buy the Cedar Lake Inn; Maria refuses a lawyer's help to appeal her sentence; The girls discuss Holly's plans to escape from prison; Crystal flirts with Randy; John visits Holly based on Maria's recommendation; Rita complains to Cissie about her husband and his girlfriend; Crystal finds a way to talk to Randy in private; Fisher uses an act of kindness in order to get an opportunity to rape Holly; Cissie and Rita discover that Holly was raped; Cissie gets paroled; Rita makes it clear to Fisher never to touch any of the women again; The girls wish Cissie farewell; Lorainne rejects Cissie and leaves her homeless.

Cissie finds a halfway house to stay at; The girls have fun gossiping while playing cards; Cissie goes to Ray's house to see Debbie; Cissie informs Rita that Ray will bring Debbie by for a visit; Patricia and Joe discuss the inn's future; Gloria pays Crystal a visit; Patricia moves the money Harry kept hidden; Crystal tries to get a loan; Randy visits Crystal; Rita worries when her daughter doesn't show up for their visit; Rita sees Warden Grayson about Debbie; The girls fake a riot so Crystal and Randy can have sex in the attic of the prison; Warden Grayson investigates the riot; Patricia is interrupted from hiding the money in the cellar; Joe and Jerry inform Patricia that she can soon open the inn because of the Faith Cronin case being closed and Ben sent to prison; Cissie visits Cedar Lake to mourn the loss of Faith; Cissie meets Patricia.

Cissie and Patricia get acquainted; Rita continues to panic over Debbie; Patricia offers Cissie a job as the inn's cook; Rita learns that Debbie has been hospitalized for taking a drug overdose; Crystal and Randy fawn over each other on the telephone; Rita visits Debbie at the hospital; The girls await the parole list and make plans for their possible release; Rita begs Warden Grayson to use her influence to get Rita on the parole list; Cissie visits Rita; John Randell pushes for Maria's parole against her will; Cissie discusses prison life with Patricia; Maria ruins her chances for parole and thinks back to the moment she murdered her husband; Rita gets paroled; Patricia goes away on a business trip; Rita obtains a gun; Joe and Cissie get acquainted; Rita goes home and shoots Ray.

Rita disposes of the gun; Joe gets further acquainted with Cissie over breakfast; Rita begins her frantic search for Debbie; After Rita's failed attempts to find Debbie, she takes refuge at the inn; During mail call in prison, Crystal receives blackmail from Gloria; Rita and Cissie discover that the police found Ray and are searching for her; Joe offers Brad a job at the inn; Crystal and Randy get closer as Crystal's financial troubles are discussed; Fisher scoffs at Maria's attempt to protect Holly; Joe and Brad hear of Rita's problem; Rita convinces Brad to help her find Debbie; Lil flirts with Randy; Crystal is forced to pay back money she owed to Maria and Lil; Rita finds Debbie; Crystal makes up a lie that Randy proposed; Fisher finds Gloria's blackmail letter while going through Crystal's things; Randy finds out about Crystal's lie; Debbie is brought to the inn; Cissie offers Rita a job as housekeeper and a permanent room to stay at the inn; Cissie informs Patricia of the new wom