1967 is a turbulent year in Australia. The Vietnam War has escalated, with many young Australian servicemen killed or severely injured in a war that is becoming more unpopular. A Prime Minister dies in mysterious circumstances and the deadliest bushfire of its era destroys a city and the lives of many residents in and around Hobart. An injured National Serviceman returns to Tasmania from the tunnels of Vietnam for rehabilitation. A horrific gunshot wound should have killed him but has left him with a severely damaged body and mind. He struggles to accept the government rules that seem to be designed to prevent him from returning to a productive life. Lost in a system of bureaucracy he struggles to find meaning in life, with almost every avenue closed off by his war injuries, and the ridiculous rules that only a Government Department could make. A power couple from London gravitates to Tasmania at the same time, looking for some peace and solitude from their crushing work pressures. As the bushfires burn, the person who has worked hardest to reduce the risk is caught in the firestorm that engulfs the city. Politicians do what politicians do; they defend their position so as not to take the blame or cause concern. The soldier plays his part, but his fragile mind takes him too close to lawlessness. Will he step over the line and then face the prospect of incarceration? The island's beauty and the majestic highlands around Cradle Mountain bring together people searching for tranquillity, or adventure, or just the meaning of life.