London 1806 – William Thornhill, a waterman on the River Thames, makes a mistake for which he and his family are made to pay dearly. His sentence: to be transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life.

The Thornhills arrive in this harsh and alien land which feels like a death sentence. But among the convicts there is a rumour that freedom can be bought, that 'unclaimed land' up the Hawkesbury offers an opportunity to start afresh, far away from the township of Sydney. When William takes a hundred acres for himself he is shocked to find aboriginal people already living on the river. Soon Thornhill, a man neither better nor worse than most, has to make the most difficult decision of his life...