Hungry Creek runs out over mudflats and curves round to a tidal beach. Hungry Creek is where everything is put that nobody wants: a dump; a zoo; a loony bin. It is also a magical place.
Jamie is eleven, on the threshold of discovery. But he can't find the map that will explain where he fits in or who he is. His parents are away and he is staying with family friends. The adult world is starting to beckon, with its secrets, its hints of sexuality and shadows of darker things. The sea is rising and Jamie is a boy overboard.