Melody returns home to Fairlands for the funeral of her estranged daughter June. But the town has almost disappeared under the encroaching desert. She also has to confront the fact that she has a 10-year-old grandson, River, whose existence she knew nothing about. Melody decides to take River away with her but he resists. He has worked out a plan to survive by breeding the ostriches he and his mother used to feed. His father, Scope, an idle musician and the town postman, also wants her to leave because he has a secret to hide. A series of confrontations ensues until Melody discovers the truth. It’s only when a sandstorm forces Melody and River to take shelter together that she faces some painful facts from her past, allowing both of them to reach an understanding and start a new future together.