Matt West is falsely accused of being a coward. The blow to his self-esteem is magnified by the fact that it is his fiancee who has accused him. She is soon his ex-fiancee.Feeling sorry for himself, Matt looks around for something to keep his mind off his troubles. He becomes interested in four-wheel driving and wins a guest spot on an overland trip across Northern Australia.Soon, things begin to go wrong and, as the situation involving a drug-running photographic agency and an unstable gangster progresses from bad to worse, Matt begins a physical and mental journey during which he has to discover once and for all if he really is a coward.