After a brush with the law, William decides to leave Australia and return to Ireland. He joins a ship at Melbourne, only to hear talk of gold in New South Wales. Simmering gold fever is in his being, and it takes little to rekindle the desire. Again with little thought or planning, William leaves the ship in Sydney hoping to benefit from the gold rush. Pulled by the lure of the fortune he hasn't found yet, William sets out for Bathurst. After being there only a short time, he joins another man to try his hand at prospecting. It's a hard life and he learns more about the hazards of living and working in the Australian bush. He then hears about gold at Lambing Flat. It is a dangerous place for William. He sees the riots first hand and is sickened by what happens. The memories of Ballarat are revisited, but that's not the worst of it. William has found and accumulated good money from his digging, and others want it. Once more hoping to benefit from the gold rush, William tests his luck and endurance to the limit. In a final irony, he is forced to make a decision from which he cannot find the courage to retreat.