The book has a strong geographic theme, which looks at the history of a single region or country of New South Wales, the Gwydir River, a major tributary of the Darling River system. The first contact years between the two cultures are examined and some First Nation testimony of the events of this period are published for the first time. The evolving programs and policies of the authorities over the ensuing years towards the First People are traced and their impacts on one tribe and family described. The intent is an honest appraisal of the history, in the words of those who witnessed it, in the spirit of Truth-telling, reconciliation and justice for First Peoples in this country.

Peter, as he was known, and the central role his people played in the history of the Gwydir, Moree and Terry Hie Hie, the home of the Cutmore ancestors. The family are proud of their heritage and identity and fought hard to keep their culture alive. But racism and the cultural suppression of the post contact period, culminating in the draconian Assimilation policies, in their attempt to wash our First Nation heritage from our collective history, have not kept quiet the descendants of the traditional owners. Now the untold story of the Cutmore family must be told as one of incredible resilience and survival in the face of genocidal colonialism.