It tells the story of Ned Rowlands, a talented stagecoach driver who meets the three creatures he loves best on the same day: a horse, a woman, and the man who will become his employer, Lord Ironminster.

He is sick with consumption (tuberculosis) and under pressure from his mother to marry a suitable wife, settle down and produce an heir.

The story details how Lord Ironminster tricks Ned Rowlands into coming to work for him as his coachman (his right-hand man), their efforts to win the wager, and the friendship that develops between them.

K. M. Peyton's novel had been optioned by actors Steven Grives and Tom Oliver who formed a company, Yarraman, to make the film.

[3] Money was raised through the company UAA to make the movie which was mainly shot around Bathurst, New South Wales, in particular at Abercrombie House.