The Shiralee

Macauley, a loner swagman, rides into a small country town and catches Lily's eye. Their romance is cut short by a jealous rival and a misunderstanding, pushing him back onto the road. He leaves the town uncertain about love and resumes life as an itinerant worker.

Back on the road, Macauley takes up boxing in a traveling carnival. He fights to earn a living while avoiding settling down. The wanderer's pride keeps him distant from intimate commitments.

During a stopover in the old town, Macauley hopes to reconnect with Lily, only to learn she is now married. The sting of lost possibility deepens as he confronts how life moved on without him. He departs again to the road with a heavier sense of resignation.

In a carnival camp, Macauley meets Marge, a fellow worker. He promises to marry her and move to the city, but friends fear he doesn't love her and that the arrangement is doomed from the start. The idea of stability slips away as the road calls him back.

Years pass and Macauley has left his wife and young daughter to roam. He discovers Marge living with Donny, an SP bookie, and in a confrontation he beats Donny and takes his five-year-old daughter Buster. He returns to the road with his child in tow, facing an uncertain future.

Macauley and Buster travel from job to job across rural South Australia, camping beside riverbanks. The road tests their bond as he discovers he must become a father who can stand his ground. They cling to a fragile but growing family dynamic.

On a reunion with Lily, he learns her husband has died and her father is gravely ill. Lily offers him a chance at work on the farm, and a shared past briefly rekindles old feelings, but pride keeps them apart. The couple's stubbornness threatens to derail any future together.

Buster falls ill, and the family battles the illness together, with arguments about who should care for her. After she recovers, Macauley begins to take pride in her strength and resilience. The crisis strengthens their bond and redefines his sense of responsibility.

In Quorn, Macauley is greeted by old friends Bella and Luke Sweeney. He tries to persuade them to let Buster stay with them, but she refuses; Macauley reluctantly accepts that they belong together as a family. The town becomes a waypoint in their uncertain future.

Marge tracks down Macauley and makes a bid to take Buster back. The custody dispute intensifies when Marge's own plans and loyalties come under scrutiny. The plot reveals that Marge had little genuine care for the child beyond spite.

Buster is struck by a car and hospitalised. Lily arrives to stay by her daughter's side as a custody case heads to court in Adelaide. Macauley must confront whether he can keep Buster and what he is willing to risk for her future.

In a tense court showdown, Macauley hints at exposing Donny's relationship with Marge to derail the custody bid. Donny's leverage pushes Marge to choose between him and the child, and it becomes clear that Marge never intended to care for Buster. The fight centers on who deserves to raise the daughter.

Macauley returns to the hospital by train, arriving just before Buster opens her eyes. The sight of the two together reveals the love still between Macauley and Lily, and the film ends with the suggestion that they may finally forge a future together. The road has brought them back to each other.