A moving and epic tale of one family's fortunes in the 1920s Australian outback, winner of the 2002 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. During the long, hungry years of the Great Depression, Harper Flute's family struggles to cope with life on the hot, dusty land. Her younger brother Tin seeks refuge in the contrast of an ancient subterranean world. A world that nurtures, but – as disturbing events in the community reveal – can also kill. A world that is silent, yet absorbs secrets. A world that has the power to change lives for ever.