The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Winton, Tim. The Shepherd’s Hut. Picador, 2019. Kindle AZW file.

In Part I, Jaxie Clackton, a teenager from rural Western Australia, sped down a deserted highway, feeling confident about his future and free from his troubled past. Reflecting on the events that had changed his life, Jaxie recalled his abusive, alcoholic father, known as "The Captain," who ran a butcher shop where Jaxie had been forced to work. After a violent altercation one morning, Jaxie had left the shop, only to return home later to find his father dead under his car, apparently killed while attempting to change a tire. Fearing he would be accused of murder due to his father’s abusive reputation, Jaxie chose to flee rather than report the accident.

He set out on foot through the harsh Australian outback toward the northern town of Magnet, driven by his feelings for a girl named Lee. Staying off the highways to avoid detection, Jaxie reflected on his difficult family life, his mother’s death, and her decision to stay with his father. He remembered that, although he had once prayed for his father's death, he now questioned whether he had somehow willed it to happen. While walking, he realized that his mother had the option to leave with him but had ultimately chosen to stay with his father, which pained him deeply. Jaxie also remembered his troubled school years, where he had developed a reputation as a bully. After his mother’s death, he had stopped attending school altogether, further isolating himself from any support network.

After days of trekking, Jaxie’s water supply dwindled. He found a deserted shack with a water tank but got violently ill from drinking it. The next day, he boiled the water for safety. Unable to hunt initially, he shot a lizard to eat but was starving and weak, realizing he couldn’t survive this way. He looked at photos of his cousin Lee but knew he couldn’t call her from here. Realizing he’d need to venture farther to find food, he trekked away from the shack, eventually shooting a kangaroo to butcher for sustenance. Despite improved hunting luck, he knew he’d need salt to preserve the meat, so he set out for the nearby salt lakes.

As he approached the salt lakes, Jaxie reflected on his closeness with Lee and the secret romance that had caused conflict within his family. At the salt lake, he dug for salt but became spooked by what he thought were people watching him—only to realize they were rocks. Nearby, he discovered footprints leading to a well-kept hut with vegetable gardens and goat traps but no vehicle. Desperate for water, he observed an old man in the hut, talking and singing to himself as he butchered a goat. Jaxie regretted not taking the chance to get water while the man was busy, realizing he’d need to stay hidden until he could reach the water tank unnoticed.

Jaxie awoke at dusk to see the old man on the porch, cooking goat meat and singing an Australian folk song. The man invited him to share the meal, accepting that if Jaxie intended harm, it was his fate. Jaxie, wary but hungry, chose to stay hidden. As he lay in the dark, he recalled how his father had caught him and his cousin Lee together, resulting in their forced separation.

In Part II, the old man—holding Jaxie’s rifle—woke him and introduced himself as Fintan MacGillis, expressing fear that Jaxie might be there to kill him. Fintan invited Jaxie to drink from his water tank and offered him food, attempting to learn more about Jaxie, who remained silent. Fintan shared that he’d been living alone in the shepherd’s hut for eight years, reliant on deliveries at Easter and Christmas, though the Easter delivery never came this year. Jaxie agreed to gather firewood in exchange for goat meat, but then fainted from dehydration.

Fintan cared for Jaxie, who accused him of drugging him and meddling with his phone, which Fintan denied. As they shared food, Jaxie realized he couldn’t reach his shack before nightfall, so Fintan invited him to stay. During a walk to the salt lakes, Fintan explained that he couldn’t leave, as he had no passport, money, or destination. He revealed he had been taken to the outback so that he could not reveal things that he knew and had done. When Fintan revealed he was a Catholic priest, Jaxie panicked, accusing him of being a pedophile and threatening him. Fintan denied Jaxie’s accusations. Despite Fintan’s invitation to stay, Jaxie set off to return to his shack. As Jaxie headed back to his shack, he regretted threatening Fintan, who had shown him kindness. He recalled sentimental memories, like using his binoculars with Lee to stargaze, and realized he’d left them at Fintan’s hut.

The next morning, Jaxie returned to retrieve his binoculars and, despite his intention to leave again immediately, stayed to eat with Fintan. Jaxie decided to stay with Fintan for a while, hoping to build his strength. They established a routine, sharing chores and creating signals for safety. Fintan even gave Jaxie a knife, symbolizing his trust. One day, Jaxie asked Fintan if he’d seen much death. Fintan mentioned witnessing mass burials but refused to elaborate, hinting at a dark, unspoken past.

In Part III, the direction of the wind shifted, and Jaxie heard a generator from the north, so he went to investigate. He found buried shipping containers used to grow cannabis and ran back to warn Fintan. The next morning, Jaxie realized he’d left his binoculars at the containers, potentially alerting the growers. When he returned to retrieve them, he saw two men who discovered the binoculars but then left. Fearing for Fintan, Jaxie rushed back but injured his ankle along the way. By the time he arrived, the men had reached Fintan. The men tied Fintan to a tree, and tortured him for information, Fintan refused to betray Jaxie. Finally, Jaxie intervened, killing both men and freeing Fintan, who nevertheless died from his injuries. Jaxie buried Fintan, disposed of the men’s bodies, and took their jeep, heading toward Magnet and Lee.