WilliamThornhill,anilliterateThamesbargemanandamanofquicktemperbutdeepfeelings,stealsaloadoftimberandistransportedtoNewSouthWalesin1806.Likemanyoftheconvicts,hespardonedwithinafewyearsandsettlesonthebanksoftheHawkesburyRiver.PerhapstheGovernorgrantshimthelandorperhapshejusttakesit-theHawkesburyisattheextremeedgeofsettlementatthattimeandnormalrulesdontapply.Howeverhegetstheland,itsprimeriverfrontacreage.Itlookscertaintomakehimrich.Theresjustoneproblemwiththatland:itsalreadyowned.ItsbeenpartoftheterritoryoftheDarugpeopleforperhapsfortythousandyears.Theyhaventleftfencesorroadsorhouses,buttheyliveonthatlandanduseit,justassurelyasThornhillsplanningtodo.Theyarentgoingtohandovertheirlandwithoutafight.Spearsmaybeprimitiveweapons,butsettlersknowthattheycankillamanassurelyasaballofleadfromamusket.Asherealisesallthis,Thornhillfacesanimpossiblechoice.Someofhisneighbours-SmasherSullivan,SagittyBirtles-regardtheDarugashardlyhuman,savageswithaslittlerighttolandasadog.WhentheDarugobjecttobeingdrivenoff,thosesettlershavenocompunctioninshootingorpoisoningthem.Otherneighboursmakeadifferentchoice,andfindwaystoco-existwiththeDarug.Blackwoodhasmadeafamilyamongthem.MrsHerringgivesthemwhentheyask.Hostilitybetweenblacksandwhitesgraduallyescalates.FinallyagroupofsettlersdecidestogooutandsettletheDarugforonceandforall.WillThornhilljointhem?Thedecisionhemakesiswithhimfortherestofhislife.
