A body is pulled from the water. No ID. No obvious motive. It's the start of a compelling drama that follows several characters through 50 years; starting and ending in the present day and switching from suburban England to the harsh realities of Australia's Northern Territory. This is a vividly-told story with different narrators, whose recollections of what actually happened don't always tally. Although some elements of the book are based on real events, including the mining boom in Australia and the cyclone that devastated Darwin, the characters and incidents are mainly fictitious.