In the novel by the popular Australian author, we meet a young girl, Cathy, who moves from rural Queensland to the desert Alice Springs and struggles with her new life in the city. Cathy stays with her friend Margie, a wild city girl looking for fun and a rich man. Cathy finds a job in a bar and soon discovers that the boundaries between black and white are sharply drawn in the city. There are unwritten rules about which bars Aborigines can go to and where their place is. When Cathy meets the handsome Aborigine Jay, the real trials for the young girls are just beginning. Together, they boldly explore the boundary between black and white. They learn that love is as precious and rare as water in the heart of the desert.