Protagonist Charlie Bucktin is a 14-year-old boy living in the fictitious rural town of Corrigan in Western Australia. Charlie spends his days with his best friend Jeffrey Lu, a Vietnamese boy who shares Charlie's love of intellectual banter, and deals stoically with the constant race-hate inflicted on him and his family. Eliza Wishart, a local girl, and daughter of the President of the town hall becomes more and more endeared towards Charlie.