The seven-part series[1] centres on 17-year-old Thomas "Tolly" Johnson (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who lies about his age so he may enlist with his brother Bevan (Harry Greenwood) and ends up fighting at Gallipoli in the campaign that helped create the ANZAC legend.

[2] The story depicts the ten-month campaign in Turkey, highlighting the landing on 25 April 1915 by ANZAC troops who go into battle on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Landing in the dark, Tolly, Bevan, and their fellow soldiers of Australia's 4th Battalion endeavor to establish a defensible foothold beneath the treacherous slopes of the peninsula.

[5] All seven episodes of Gallipoli were made available on the streaming service Stan during the television premiere, as part of a promotion deal.

[1] The series was a ratings disaster, described by David Gyngell, head of Nine Entertainment at the time, as the network's "biggest disappointment".