Tom Hartley, 17, fights for survival, orphaned and alone on sixty thousand acres of Queensland cattle property. Kind Kit helps him escape being put into Care, repairs the house, then enslaves him. He is a willing pupil of a barmaid and practices with the girl sent to help him.He fights off a depraved land grabber and joins the army in 1942 resisting Japanese in Singapore. Aided by three soldiers, two pretty girls and an Indonesian boy, they wipe out an airfield and cause mayhem behind enemy lines.He must get vital war plans 3,000 miles to Australia in spite of a traitor. Action comes thick and fast; a mix of tragedy, impossible hurdles and a touch of Romance.The final turn of the screw awaits Tom on his return, as the bank manager goes off with his savings and traps him to await his fate.