In 1894, twelve-year-old Matilda flees the city slums to find her unknown father and his farm. But drought grips the land, and the shearers are on strike. Her father has turned swaggie and hes wanted by the troopers. In front of his terrified daughter, he makes a stand against them, defiant to the last. Set against a backdrop of bushfire, flood, war and jubilation, this is the story of one girls journey towards independence. It is also the story of others who had no vote and very little but their dreams. Drawing on the well-known poem by A.B. Paterson and from events rooted in actual history, this is the untold story behind Australias early years as an emerging nation.