When young Australian fisherman and local nightclub owner Rusty McCloud rescues the Parkers during a family holiday, seventeen-year-old Hecky Parker is star-struck by Rusty's confidence. But after witnessing Rusty's trawler team engaging in some shady beachside transactions, the innocent teen has a glimpse of the underbelly of this seaside town. While Hecky flourishes into an ethical, fair, influential, philanthropic figure in Brisbane, Rusty's criminal activity escalates in the northern rivers of New South Wales. But their improbable friendship stays strong as both men learn that money and power attract envy and greed. This powerful tale, covering the east coast of Australia from Sydney to Brisbane, has everything: love, hatred; tenderness, violence; loyalty, vengeance; charity, embezzlement and crime.