After the death of her mother, Lara Ritchie (Lauren Hewett) goes to stay with her father, Larry (Jamey Sheridan), who lives on a farm in Australia with his new wife, Gladwyn (Judy Davis), and their three children. Larry's family is uncomfortable at first around Lara, whom Gladwyn treats differently from her biological offspring. Easing the transition along is Thunderwith, a dog who becomes a friend to Lara, helping her forgive and connect to the relative strangers who make up her new family.