A hundred years after the Big Wet, Earth is broken - a barren and infertile world where the few survivors struggle for survival. When Michael, a scavenger bearing strange gifts, calls at the shanty town of Providence, the effects are devastating. Now the townsfolk must cross the deadly wasteland to Newbegin, a nearby city where the past meets the new status quo. But Newbegin's cruel dictator is busy oppressing anyone not belonging to his church - which includes the Providence survivors.