'Kim Kelly seems to understand the sounds and scents of the country ... like you are looking through a wide and clear window back to the 40s.' - The West Australian

On the cusp of summer 1939, another war has begun in Europe. Bernie Cooper is wondering what might be in it for her; she's looking for adventure, some way to stretch her wings. The boy next door, Gordon Brock, is wondering if Bernie will marry him - before he heads off on his own adventure, his first job as a geologist with an oil company in New Guinea.

But the war has plans for them both neither could have imagined in their wildest nightmares.

As Gordon braces for the Japanese invasion of Rabaul, Bernie finally finds her purpose in the midst of the battle being fought on home soil - against the worst drought in living memory, the menace of an unseen enemy, and the torment of not knowing if those dear to her are alive or dead.

From the beaches of Sydney to the dusty heart of the continent, This Red Earth is a love letter to Australia, with all its beauty and terror, and a tale of telling the truth - before it's too late.