After surviving a jet boat accident that takes her parents, eight-year-old Francine is sent away from all she knows to her great-aunt Bronwyn on a Queensland island. Bronwyn's mind is fogging with Alzheimers and her writing career and the freedom of them both is threatened by the disease. Francine dreads ending up in State care so, with secrecy paramount, she must rely on her own resources to keep them both safe. Difficulties multiply over the years but it's a storm that starts her slide into a black hole. How can she wrench her ultimate quest for a family life from the clutches of disaster? Tragedy also strikes Francine's friends the Hohepas, and the future of them all hinges on how this young girl rises to her challenges.