Tom is shipwrecked on the coast of Australia. He manages to struggle ashore but finds he is in an unfamiliar place with no hope of ever surviving the hostile desert. Raka, an Aboriginal boy with innate traditional powers, also finds himself in a similar situation in the parallel Dreamtime but he does have the knowledge and help of his ancestors to survive and find his way home. Raka senses that there is a 'pink spirit' in trouble and comes through the Dreamtime doorway to help him. Raka tells Tom about the Dreamtime spirits and how they help survival. Tom is fascinated by the strange tales told by Raka in the old sing song way and comes to realise that they are not just silly stories and his respect for the environment and the original inhabitants of Australia grows as he learns.