Episode 3, "Empire's Plant Hunter" follows Banks and his companions on their botanical journey of exploration of the eastern coast of Australia, the disastrous loss of life on board the Endeavour in the East Indies and Banks' return to London in 1771, which made him a celebrity.

Botanist Joseph Banks accompanied Captain Cook on his voyages and helped establish the Kew Gardens as a botanical centre in London. He played a pivotal role in the founding of Australia first as a convict settlement and then as a British colony.