John Grant is returning to Sydney after a year teaching at a one-classroom school in the Outback. Shortly after hitting the road, he collides with a kangaroo, and finds himself marooned in a small mining town, awaiting repairs on his car. With little to do but drink beer, John is seduced into a raucous, illegal game of two-up. After a short, exhilarating winning streak, he loses everything, which triggers a dangerous series of events that render John a broken and desperate man.

Wake in Fright is two-part Australian miniseries based on Kenneth Cook's 1961 novel Wake in Fright and its 1971 film adaptation of the same name, starring Sean Keenan, David Wenham, Alex Dimitriades, Caren Pistorius, Gary Sweet and Robyn Malcolm.