The dominating physical presence of the countryside makes her feel small—a hill country landscape scarred with dark-green fissures of hidden valleys, suffused with cloying smells lurking in the heat. She shrinks back into the bedclothes, away from the penetrating curiosity of people whose everyday conversation is loaded with unfamiliar directness and unsettling silences.

Fresh out of Melbourne Teachers' College in the midst of World War II, Ellen takes a teaching outpost in the country town of Winnindoo West. Boarding with the Biggins family and their twin sons, Jack and Tom, proves as challenging as teaching, as she struggles to fit in. She is unprepared for country life, and even less prepared for romance.

While Ellen's city confidence challenges country expectations, the desire to belong and the rift between city and country forces her to re-evaluate her life, as she searches for reasons to stay or to leave.

The Scent of Belonging is a sweeping drama about family, friendships and the place you call home.