An historical novel covering the intertwined lives of three generations of a pastoral family in 19th-century Australia and an Aborigine tribe. The story begins with the arrival of the first white settlers in the Fitzroy river region and the reaction of the local clans. Through the years 1855-1919, the struggles to co-exist continue - the white people striving to prosper in spite of on going difficulties, the black people wanting only to hold on to a way of life that has been theirs for thousands of years.