Set in a small, riverside community, this is a story of a river and the people who rely on it—such as Rose, who lives in a house overlooking the river, grieving for her dead father while waiting for her baby to be born. It is also the story of Danny, another refugee from a life elsewhere, hiding from his violent father and dreaming of owning some riverfront property. There are also the locals, the "river old-timers"—and a newcomer who cares nothing for them or the secrets of their past. Set over the course of a long, hot, tense summer, when sparks constantly threaten to ignite bushfires, this novel depicts a tight-knit society that is set afire by betrayed confidences and a renewed age-old grudge. A novel that clearly defines a people's place by a river, this story is evocative, gentle, and captivating.