In 1969 Western Australia, mid-teen Willie Johnson, an aborigine from Broome, attends a Catholic boarding school in Perth, the school under the direction of headmaster Father Benedictus, who uses temptation of the flesh--in the form of food--to bribe his charges. Willie's mother wants Willie to become a priest, something he, at his tender age, has no reason not to want himself, that is until... On a vacation back at Broome, he falls in love at first sight with Rosie, the young woman in town who loves to sing. Having no experience with girls, he is both not confident enough to tell her that when he asks to spend time with her he's asking her on dates, and jealous of any attention other boys pay to her or visa versa. Back in Perth, incidents with Father Benedictus and his attraction to Rosie make Willie realize that what he really wants right now is to be at home in Broone, so he runs away and tries to make his way back home. Along the way he meets an odd assortment of characters, including Tadpole, a vagabond who claims to be his uncle; traveling hippies Slippery and Annie, one of whom might not be an actual hippie; and Roxanne, a lusty desert woman who has a tree of condoms. All the while, Father Benedictus is hot on Willie's trail, determined to bring him back to Perth. Will Willie get home? If not, who or what will stop him?
—Huggo