The inhabitants of the small town in South Australia where the novel is set are divided into two distinct groups; the Goonyas, who are white, live in The Port, whilst the indigenous Aboriginal people, the Nungas, live in The Point. The two groups have very little to do with each other, which is the main aspect of life there that troubles Blacky, the book's protagonist. He has a profound sense of fairness and social justice, and is often troubled by the things that he sees around him.
Blacky's home life is not the best either. He has a large family, nominally headed by his abusive drunk of a father who is only home when the pub is closed. Blacky's mother is a sweet woman who is always exhausted. Blacky's main passion in life is Aussie Rules Football, a hybrid game that combines rugby and football and is ironically named because like Australia itself it seems to have very few rules at all. Because he is on a football team he has friends from both The Port and The Point. Dumby, from The Port, is the best player on the team but much of his importance goes under the radar.
Blacky is worried about playing against notorious Thumper whose team he will face in the grand finals. He has created an ultimate dodge play that actually appears to be a tackle attempt, and he manages to keep out of Thumper's way for most of the game, but inadvertently gets in his way towards the end. This has two consequences that are not that bad; he is concussed (and can leave the game a hero) and Thumper is put off-course and cannot score before the final whistle, giving the victory to the team from The Port. Celebration is short-lived; Dumby and his brother are shot dead that night whilst robbing a bar. Blacky takes this very badly and cannot process his emotions.
Blacky has started a forbidden relationship with Dumby's sister Clarence, which is a romance that is kept on the down-low on racial grounds. As he becomes more comfortable with making a stand, Blacky gradually stops taking the line of least resistance with life in general; he attends Dumby's funeral, showing that he does not think along the same racially divided lines as the rest of the people in The Port.
