Plot
Catherine and Matthew Parker move with their children Lily and Tom to the remote Australian desert town of Nathgari. Although the family is unhappy with the move, Matthew and Tom blame Lily for forcing them to leave the larger town of Coonaburra. When he can't sleep, Tom sometimes walks around the neighbourhood at night, an activity his parents discourage. One night, Matthew sees Tom leave the house, followed by Lily. He says nothing and goes back to sleep. The next morning, Catherine oversleeps. When she cannot find the children, she calls Matthew at work. He reassures her that they must be at school, but school officials told her Tom and Lily had not been attending. She's even more worried when an haboob hits the town. Matthew, wanting his family's business known, discourages her from contacting authorities. Against his wishes, Catherine contacts several people, including police.
Detective David Rae discovers Lily had been reported missing previously. Catherine and Matthew reluctantly reveal that she had disappeared for two days, but soon turned up at a friend's house. Rae learns that Lily had been having sex with her Coonaburra teacher, Neil McPherson, and Matthew assaulted McPherson, earning a restraining order. To Rae, the Parkers admit they left Coonaburra to escape the shame.
Catherine becomes frustrated with Matthew's focus as a pharmacist regardless of the community's reliance on his services. Rae's investigation reveals Lily had multiple sexual relationships despite being only fifteen. Catherine reluctantly reads Lily's diary, with its irate, angsty, and hyper-sexualised imagery, including poetry and pictures of her lovers; McPherson, the Parker's challenged handyman Burtie, and local youth Steve, aka "Slug." It also describes her parents' marriage as a sham, which brings Catherine to tears. Catherine turns the diary over to Rae, asking that he not reveal it to Matthew.
Matthew drives to Coonaburra, where he questions and threatens McPherson. Coreen, Rae's girlfriend and Burtie's sister, becomes annoyed when Rae won't share details of the case with her. She's also jealous, fearing Rae's attraction to Catherine. Rae secretly shreds diary pages that connect Burtie to Lily, and discourages Burtie from self-incrimination. Rae arrests Slug but, releases him for lack of testimony and evidence.
The town organises a search party. Matthew refuses to participate, further angering Catherine. Rae suggests her children might have run away for reasons closer to home. With Lily's sexual inclinations, and Matthew's reluctance to help search, Catherine asks if he ever molested her. Incredulous, he denies it. Upon learning Burtie had sex with Lily, Matthew beats up Burtie and searches his house. Coreen demands Rae arrest Matthew, and accuses him of taking the Parkers' side; Rae reveals Burtie's conduct.
Burtie tries speaking with Matthew, who's not home. He leaves after Catherine invites him in, attempting to seduce him while wearing Lily's clothes. Matthew searches the desert alone in the opposite direction, and finds Tom delirious from dehydration. Catherine yells at Tom for refusing to speak. He eventually tells Matthew he saw Lily get into a car.
Catherine overhears locals speculating on Lily's disappearance and likely death. She's distraught after a caller labels Lily "a whore". Desperate, she visits Rae, and when she fails to seduce him, wanders into the desert at night, alone in despair. The next morning, traumatised and stripped naked, she reappears in town and all the men gawp at her. Matthew rescues and tenderly bathes her. Hold each other in bed, Catherine admits she hid Lily's diary from Matthew, and he reveals he saw them leave that night. He admits he did not stop them because he was angry and wanted to punish Lily. Catherine hugs Tom and walks onto the porch, where she and Matthew console each other. While holding Lily's diary, Matthew cries and says that he wishes he could take back that one moment.
Two passages of Lily's poetry are heard in her voice over aerial imagery of the vast outstretching Outback – Lily's fate is left uncertain....
