Cirrus@Austlit

Elderly and successful artist Bradley Morahan believes he has become too stale and is past his prime. His friend (and agent) persuades him to go to a secluded island on the Great Barrier Reef to try and recapture inspiration. He re-discovers his muse not through nature but in the form of Cora, a shy teenage girl. The relationship is not viewed well, however, by her drunken grandmother, Ma Ryan. When Morahan and the grandmother argue one night, the old lady falls and dies. Cora helps Morahan deceive the police about her grandmother's death. While the artist's feelings toward Cora turn increasingly to love, she in turn manages to open his eyes to see her as more than merely his model.