Macauley (Bryan Brown), a two-fisted street-fighter, takes to the roads of Australia’s outback with his young daughter, his ‘shiralee’, his burden. They walk from town to town looking for work. When none is to be found Macauley wants to get rid of his shiralee but he is too proud to return her to his unfaithful wife. So begins the story of the growing love between a father and his daughter. Based on the novel by D’Arcy Niland.