AllMovie

This film, set in a small Australian community, is adapted from a novel of the same name by Tim Winton. It tells the story of a troubled family offered help by a caring stranger whose intentions are not as selfless as they seem. The Flack family lives a peaceful existence on their farm beside a river. They consist of parents Alice and Sam, their two children Tegwyn, an adolescent girl, and Ort, a curious and sensitive 12 year old boy, and the senile grandmother. The family's happiness is shattered when Sam falls into a deep coma following an auto accident. When stranger Harry Warburton suddenly shows up, Alice who has been exhausted by trying to care for her husband and upset family, gladly accepts his proffered assistance. Harry, who claims to be an evangelist, is quickly accepted into the family by all but Tegwyn who questions his intentions.