At sea, Angel, a young sailor, receives a request from his dying friend, Max, to deliver a mysterious package to his hometown, an isolated coastal village in Queensland. After Max's death, Angel honors his promise and goes there. What he discovers is far from the idyllic place he imagined: the town is bleak, dilapidated, and populated by tormented and disillusioned people, including the menacing Tatts and others trapped by their past. As he encounters them, the contents of the package-which turns out to be opium-and the town's underlying tensions draw him into a dark and surreal world.