About the Setting

If somewhere is beyond the black stump it means it is in the deepest darkest wilds of the Australian outback.

The Novel

This is the sun-baked setting for Nevil Shute's novel of a romance that is tested by the differences between two young people’s home lives.

Main Characters

Stanton Laird is sent from his small town in America to work in a remote outpost in Western Australia. While out there he befriends the unconventional Regan family and falls in love with the daughter Mollie.

Plot Twist

However, when Mollie travels to America to visit him, the couple realize that their differences in background make their plans for a future together hard to realize.