Will Thornhill is an impoverished Thames waterman transported for life to New South Wales in 1806. Winning emancipation through hard work, Will persuades his wife Sal to move their young children up to the wild and beautiful Hawkesbury River, where he stakes a claim on 100 acres of land. An ordinary, decent, reasonable man, Will wants nothing more than to build a prosperous future for those he loves.

In his desperate enthusiasm for his new land, Will had not counted on the reaction of the local Indigenous people, whose traditions and livelihood are threatened by the increasing number of settlers on the river. Occasional clashes and disagreements escalate into full-scale conflict.

With the dream of having land of his own and a future for his family now under threat, Will faces a brutal choice. This choice will take him up a remote branch of the river, to a place in his soul where he would rather not go, and eternally regrets that he does.