The true story of the bloody confrontation which took place on the goldfields at Lambing Flat (now Young) between thousands of Europeans who flocked to the goldfields in search of instant wealth and the Chinese, in much smaller numbers, who shared the same aspirations. There are ordinary diggers like Australian-born Ben Duggan, Clarrie Smith and 'Likely'; the miners' leaders, William Spicer, Charles Stewart, socialist and Charles Allen, merchant and religious fantatic; and attempting to keep law and order, Captain Henry Zouch and a handful of Gold Commissioners and police. Finally there are the bushrangers like Frank Gardiner , the women, the merchants and the flotsam of the diggings whose common interest was wealth at any price - even murder.