In 1830s England, a young man from a good but troubled family is unjustly convicted of stealing a watch. He's transported to Van Diemen's Land where he suffers under the enmity of Lt. Frere while falling in love with Sylvia, the Warden's daughter. Meanwhile, back in England, an imposter lays claim to the young man's inheritance.

At first simply grating, the presence of a hard-edged, macho plumber who damages more than he repairs and returns day after day soon turns menacing for the intellectual wife of a distracted doctor.