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SYNOPSIS
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Alone, high on petrol fumes, he breaks into the Community Centre and continues his violent rampage, inadvertently setting the building alight and burning his arm badly in the process. Botj awakens the next morning in hospital, knowing he has sealed his fate by breaking the law once again.
Lorrpu is by his side and becomes determined to save Botj from the law and himself. Lorrpu knows that the only way to do this is to take Botj's case to Dawu, the elder, who is away on tribal business in Darwin, 300 miles away. But there are problems. Lorrpu is unsure whether his gamble will pay off. He has no money, no transport, and Milika steadfastly refuses to risk his own future for a "no hoper".
Yet
Lorrpu is determined to carry out his course of action, and he helps
Botj escape from hospital, providing him with clothes. The boys steal
away to an abandoned shelter - their secret spot - in preparation for
their journey. Once there, they are joined by a reluctant Milika, who
is drawn by the bonds of friendship that still exist between the three
of them (and a secret desire to purchase a new pair of football boots).
They embark on their journey through the dense and dangerous north-eastern
wilderness, toward an uncertain future, each with their own agenda.
For Lorrpu it is an opportunity to live out his dream of being a great
hunter, to test his skills and his cultural knowledge against the harsh
reality of the Arnhem Land wilderness and to see Botj well again before
they plead his case to the elder. For Milika it is a test of loyalty
to his friends, a last act of boyhood and a chance to get a glimpse
of the outside world, the white world, for which he is destined. And
for Botj, it is a chance at life again…