An American woman on vacation in Sydney buys a car and travels across Australia on a voyage of self-discovery.

Alma can't stand to have one more birthday without seeing her estranged daughter, Elizabeth, who lives in Sydney, Australia. But Alma doesn't fit into her daughter's political-hostess life even for a visit, and she finds more sympathy in her granddaughter. Alma, in a burst of rebellion, buys a supercharged hotrod and sets out on a voyage of self-discovery to Melbourne--if she can remember to stay on the left side of the road. Along the way, she meets con artists, gangsters, and a ponytailed white-knight in a camper and she finds not only adventure and romance, but also the courage to go back and face her relationship with her daughter and set it right.—Kathy Li