The story of a university student who leads a protest against an Asian security conference in Canberra which has been organised by his father the Australian Defence Minister. His life and his demonstration become disrupted.

Unable to support his family in the Australian outback, a man turns to stealing horses in order to make money. He gets more deeply drawn into the outlaw life, and eventually becomes involved in murders. Based on the life of famed 19th-century Australian outlaw Ned Kelly.