August 1854: At thirteen, Alf has just finished school and wants to make decisions about his future. But his mum has uprooted their life in Melbourne and insisted he help her set up a store in Ballarat on the goldfields. While Alfs not sure what he wants to do, he definitely knows he does not want to be a storekeeper for the rest of his life. As Alf makes friends with Peter Lalor and the local diggers, he realises that gold fever is just one of many things ruling life on the goldfields. But how can Alf gain independence from his mother and help his friends? Rebellion is rumbling and is about to shake the goldfields to their core.