When a father takes his two visiting British children into the Outback far from civilization, he plans on killing them and himself. But, he succeeds only in killing himself and driving the teenage daughter and seven year old son (Jenny Agutter, Lucien John) into a harsh, beautiful, and desolate world that is unlike anything they know. Dressed in school uniforms with only a small radio as their link to the world, they seem doomed until they come upon a young aborigine (David Gumpilil), sent away from his tribe on a “Walkabout” to become a man. Though unable to communicate, the boy knows how to pick up the cues and immediately adapts to bonding with their savior. The teenage girl is less trusting and more likely to react with anxiety. But, the aborigine sees these two wayward souls as part of his task to be a man, and he completely shows them what skills he has to keep them alive. Through his misunderstanding and the girl’s inability to recognize the cultural rules, their bonding failure can only lead to tragedy.