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The year is 1921 and teenage Tom Bramble’s home is a remote Northern Rivers valley, a desolate place where few have returned from the war. It is a world of widows, spinsters and men who are either old or maimed or both. Yet Tom is undeterred by the trauma and sorrow that surrounds him. Inspired by avid reading of boys’ adventure books, he dreams of great deeds on the battlefield and envies his older brothers, even though they never returned from their exploits in France. Unfortunately, Tom is a long way from such glory. He is stuck in the one-horse town of Berto where his father, who runs the small local pub, is an alcoholic, embittered by the loss of his sons; where his best mate, half Irish, half-aboriginal Neddy, whose dad also died in the war, is more interested in their shared love for fishing; and where, for that matter, everybody else in the valley knows or cares little for his fantasies. However, huge changes are about to affect the valley and Tom will be brutally put to the test. The district policeman, in league with the church mission; a ruthless squatter; and an American card sharp, on the run from Sydney’s underworld gangs and newly arrived in town with his beautiful showgirl companion, will each throw down at Tom’s feet a bloody gauntlet. Stunned, he will plummet into a pit of confusion, despair and self-doubt. Should he keep in his place, be meek and accepting, or should he seek revenge, live out his fantasies and embark upon his own private war? What really is at stake and what price could he pay? Will Tom ever be the same again?
