Eddie (Ben Mendelsohn) – best known as Mullet ‘round these parts [like the fish, he is not entirely appealing] – returns to his home village of Coollawarra on the coast, after a three year absence. He left so abruptly and disappeared without trace so completely, his girl Tully (Susie Porter) didn’t even have a chance to invite him to her wedding – to Mullet’s older brother Pete (Andrew S. Gilbert). The unease with which the town greets Mullet doesn’t diminish when it becomes clear his fractious ways haven’t changed. His motives for coming back are clear enough – it’s home. But his return disturbs not only his family’s calm but the small town’s very fabric. His mum (Kris McQuade) and his dad (Tony Barry) are there for him – in their rustic sort of way – but Tully is confused and Pete is unsure…Only Kay (Belinda McClory), the barmaid at the pub, has some sort of clean cut affection for Mullet – even though she doesn’t much like a lot of what he does.