Set in Charlotte Bay, a masculine town with a feminine name, the 50,000-word novella unfolds in the week before the local Aussie Rules grand final, where Lucas Walker is expected to lead the Hawks to victory. After a beach party, Lucas's sixteen-year-old brother Ryan wakes to find a humpback whale on the foreshore.

As the rescue mission unfolds, blurry recollections of his brother's assault on a girl begin to weigh on his conscience. What exactly did he see, and how will he make sense of it when so many around him worship the star player?