Ian Lane is fifty-seven years old and he thinks his country is about to be invaded by force of arms and have its lifestyle and culture changed forever. So he leaves his executive corporate position and decides to rely on his suddenly budding career as a novelist to support himself, his wife and ten-year-old daughter. They set out on a long dreamed of caravan trip around Australia while the country's northern neighbours become more and more determined that Australia should join the powerful Northern Alliance voluntarily - or risk being compelled to do so by force of arms. Australia's allies adopt a wait-and-see attitude while the country bubbles with internal and external conflict and turmoil. When the invasion begins Ian and his wife and daughter are camped at an isolated lagoon deep in the northern outback -- prisoners in their own land watching the invaders swarm down the centre of the continent. A Vietnam Veteran - Ian longs to play a part in defending his land. But what can he do when he is stranded in the middle of nowhere? By chance or destiny he finds a fissure through a wall of desert rock that takes him 252 years into the future. There he finds an ally and access to technology that will help him in his quest to serve his country, and he gains a glimpse at the future that gives him hope for the present. He also finds a new but impossible romantic relationship that inspires and confuses at the same time.