Julian Moreland, aged 12 3/4, lives in Darwin with his widowed father, Craig, a flying instructor in the army. They are very close, sharing a love of fishing and helicopters. Craig retires, moves to Melbourne for civilian work and is killed in a car accident. Julian is placed in foster care until the funeral. Arrangements are made for him to live with Craig's friends in Darwin. But upset that Craig is buried in Melbourne he runs away to become a street kid. For two months he lives rough. Then he is drawn to a local airport & meets Arthur Cameron the man who hired his dad. Arthur takes him in. On a hot day in March, he passes a parked car with a baby locked inside. The car catches fire. Julian smashes his way in grabs the baby & turns to run as the car explodes. He is badly burnt shielding the baby and taken to hospital. When told Julian's an orphan, the wealthy grandparents of the baby he saved offer to adopt him and pay for helicopter flying lessons when he is old enough.