WilliamThornhill,anilliterateThamesbargemanandamanofquicktemperbutdeepfeelings,stealsaloadoftimberandistransportedtoNewSouthWalesin1806.Likemanyoftheconvicts,he’spardonedwithinafewyearsandsettlesonthebanksoftheHawkesburyRiver.PerhapstheGovernorgrantshimthelandorperhapshejusttakesit-theHawkesburyisattheextremeedgeofsettlementatthattimeandnormalrulesdon’tapply.Howeverhegetstheland,it’sprimeriverfrontacreage.Itlookscertaintomakehimrich.There’sjustoneproblemwiththatland:it’salreadyowned.It’sbeenpartoftheterritoryoftheDarugpeopleforperhapsfortythousandyears.Theyhaven’tleftfencesorroadsorhouses,buttheyliveonthatlandanduseit,justassurelyasThornhill’splanningtodo.Theyaren’tgoingtohandovertheirlandwithoutafight.Spearsmaybeprimitiveweapons,butsettlersknowthattheycankillamanassurelyasaballofleadfromamusket.Asherealisesallthis,Thornhillfacesanimpossiblechoice.Someofhisneighbours-SmasherSullivan,SagittyBirtles-regardtheDarugashardlyhuman,savageswithaslittlerighttolandasadog.WhentheDarugobjecttobeingdrivenoff,thosesettlershavenocompunctioninshootingorpoisoningthem.Otherneighboursmakeadifferentchoice,andfindwaystoco-existwiththeDarug.Blackwoodhasmadeafamilyamongthem.MrsHerring"givesthemwhentheyask".Hostilitybetweenblacksandwhitesgraduallyescalates.Finallyagroupofsettlersdecidestogooutand"settle"theDarugforonceandforall.WillThornhilljointhem?Thedecisionhemakesiswithhimfortherestofhislife.