A mentally disturbed man takes his 14-year-old daughter and his six-year-old son into the desert supposedly for a picnic. He abruptly goes berserk, tries to shoot them, sets fire to the car and kills himself. A young Aboriginal man guides them in the way of survival in what becomes a ritual walkabout during which he courts the girl. In her incomprehension she rejects the man's advances which ultimately leads to tragedy.
