An oddity amongst her friends and family, sixteen-year-old Shannon is sent to her Aunt Edith's house in a country town, to give her an opportunity in life. There, as unpaid help, she meets a strange array of people and finds two friends; one introduces her to boys, the other to the world of books.

Following her Aunt Edith's engagement to a quack healer, Shannon and her friend Beryl move to Sydney. The effects of the Depression are still felt, but after working as a waitress, Shannon is employed by the Abbey of Human Brotherhood, where she falls in love. Dismissed from the Abbey, she starts a new career in the world of radio.

Europe, on the edge of disaster, is a world away from Shannon, absorbed in the exciting life of radio. When she encounters the idealism of the Proletarian Movement, she plunges wholeheartedly into their activities, giving it all her time and energy, while her friend Beryl aims for material security. When personal tragedy strikes, Shannon questions the lifestyle she has adopted.