[1] The story, set in the Coorong region of South Australia,[2] focuses on the relationships the boy has with his father Hide-Away Tom, the pelican, and an outcast Australian Aboriginal man called Fingerbone.

The story then concentrates on the conflict between his lifestyle, the externally imposed requirement for him to attend a school, the fate of the pelican, and the relationship of the boy, and later his father, with Fingerbone.

The Bell Shakespeare Company toured Australia with the play Storm Boy in 1996, with Trent Atkinson in the title role.

[5] The Sydney Theatre Company performed Tom Holloway's stage adaptation in 2013 and 2015 in collaboration with Perth's Barking Gecko Theatre Company,[6] Trevor Jamieson played Fingerbone Bill in the 2013 production,[7] while Jimi Bani played the character in 2015 (apart from three performances, where Shaka Cook stood in owing to an unforeseen family commitment).

[8] A second movie adaptation, starring Geoffrey Rush, Jai Courtney, with Trevor Jamieson reprising his role as Fingerbone Bill, was released in January 2019.