Growing up in New South Wales in the 1840s, Nathan, the son of Mary Jacobsen, lives an untroubled existence until he learns the identity of his father, Nargun, the legendary aboriginal warrior. Mary's husband, Captain Robert Fraser, and a local policeman send the boy to live among the aborigines where he learns respect for his late father's people. Nathan spends the ensuing years astride both white and black cultures, and finds a natural niche in both. However, there are men and women in each culture who cannot accept the presence of the other. Australian historical events, including white transgressions on to aboriginal held land, form the nucleus around which Nathan's story is told.