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In the early 1880s, paddle steamers travelled the Australian river systems bringing supplies to, and taking produce from, inland properties. Nat, a 13-year-old farmworker, dreams of joining the crew of a paddle steamer. He can't believe his luck when, after a case of mistaken identity, he is asked to help out on a delivery run up the Murrumbidgee aboard the Lorelei.
Landlubber Nat has lots of skills to learn before he can earn the respect of the crew. As a non-swimmer, he also has to overcome his fear of the water. While Nat learns quickly on the journey upstream, his courage is tested during the return journey. As a storm begins, the Lorelei's barge, Niobe, is blown off course and the barge hand is injured. Nat is moved to the barge to replace the recovering crewman.
The storm worsens and the Niobe, with Nat and Lofty aboard, is caught by a tree. The barge comes adrift from the Lorelei and is dragged downstream until it becomes snagged and holed. As Lofty's leg is hurt, the task of patching the hole and saving the barge is left to Nat. Despite his fear, Nat leaps into the fast cold water with only a rope to support him. He manages to plug the hole and stop the flow just as the Lorelei comes to the rescue.
As the Lorelei returns to Echuca wharf, Nat knows that he has become a river man.
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