With the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union at its height, a young couple migrates from Boston to Australia to escape imminent nuclear war. They are surprised to meet many people in Sydney who had moved from North America and Europe for the same reason. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, had migrated to Australia and New Zealand to find shelter. The Australian press refers to them as "nuclear migrants." AUSTRALIA YEARS reveals a creative young woman's search for a meaningful life in an unfamiliar land. Personal events unfold amidst the beauty of the Australian landscape and the historic backdrop of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the women's liberation movement.