Goldstone 2018

Three years after shedding light on the corruption plaguing his hometown of Winton, Queensland, Detective Jay Swan (character) is dispatched to the small mining town of Goldstone to track down a missing Asian tourist. His journey takes an unexpected turn when he’s pulled over by a young local cop, Josh (actor), who informs the town’s entrenched mayor, Maureen, about his presence. The night wears on with Jay nodding off in a motel caravan, only to be awoken by a hail of bullets and two men, one sporting an eye patch. When Josh arrives on the scene, Jay entrusts him with the details of his case.

As tensions rise, Josh takes Jay to a secluded off-grid shelter, where they discuss the intricacies of the town’s corruption. Meanwhile, Josh pays a visit to Furnace Creek, the local mine, where he’s met with resistance from its supervisor, Johnny. Johnny is hell-bent on expanding operations at the mine and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, even resorting to bribery. His efforts are mirrored by Maureen, who attempts to grease the palms of Tommy, the head of the local Aboriginal land council.

As Jay delves deeper into the mystery of the missing tourist, he finds himself in the company of Jimmy, a wise and aged local Aboriginal elder. Jimmy guides him through the winding paths of Goldstone, ultimately leading him to the gates of Furnace Creek. With his detective instincts on high alert, Jay sneaks past security and discovers a disturbing scene: several young Asian women are being forced into prostitution to pay off their debts.

As Jay returns to his car, he’s detained overnight by Furnace Creek’s security forces, who seem more interested in intimidating him than helping him with his investigation. The next morning, Johnny makes a concerted effort to cow Jay, but our intrepid detective remains steadfast in his pursuit of the truth.

Back in Goldstone, Jay is visited by Josh, who warns him that Maureen has summoned him for a meeting. Jay complies, and Maureen drops veiled hints about his investigation, cautioning him against pursuing it further. Her words are accompanied by an air of menace, leaving no doubt as to her true intentions.

As the story unfolds, Johnny and Maureen take center stage at a press conference, where they announce their plans for the mine’s expansion with great fanfare. However, their triumphant mood is short-lived, as Jimmy bursts in, denying them his signature approval. The news sends shockwaves through the town, leaving Jay more determined than ever to get to the bottom of things.

In the midst of this chaos, Jay receives an anonymous call and follows it up with a visit from one of the girls he’d seen at Furnace Creek. He discovers that her passport is among those collected by the caller, who then leads him on a merry chase through the town. The trail eventually leads Josh to the local creek, where they discover Jimmy’s lifeless body hanging from a tree. With the case growing more complex by the minute, Jay is left to ponder whether foul play was involved in Jimmy’s demise or if it was simply a tragic accident witnessed by Tommy.

As the investigation reaches its boiling point, Josh finds himself drawn into the world of Mei, a prostitute at the local bar/brothel. He forms a bond with her and promises to help her escape the clutches of those who seek to exploit her. With tensions simmering just below the surface, Jay knows that he must tread carefully to unravel the tangled web of corruption and deceit that has taken hold of Goldstone.

Tommy’s confession to Josh is a pivotal moment, as he reveals the shocking truth about Jimmy’s demise and exposes the rampant corruption within Maureen’s inner circle. The revelation also sheds light on Johnny’s thuggish cohorts, who serve as enforcers for Furnace Creek’s nefarious operations. Meanwhile, Jay delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Mei’s passport, tracing the trail to a haunting discovery - the skeletal remains of the woman he was tasked with finding.

The stakes escalate when Josh receives a cryptic message from Mei, only to find the brothel empty and the girls gone. A tense confrontation with Maureen yields little progress, as she reluctantly agrees to facilitate a connection with the criminal mastermind. Undeterred, Josh sets out to track down the missing women, but finds himself ambushed by the thugs at an abandoned trailer site. Jay’s timely intervention from a strategic vantage point thwarts their plans, and he enlists Josh in a mission to rescue the captives.

As they converge on Furnace Creek, the unlikely duo faces off against the henchmen in a thrilling shootout, ultimately uncovering the women’s whereabouts. With Johnny’s plane making its escape, Jay gives chase, while Josh mounts a daring rescue operation. The action unfolds as Jay’s vehicle is crippled by the black-armed guard, who emerges victorious after intercepting him at the airfield.

In the aftermath, Jay and the guard engage in a tense standoff before deciding to spare each other’s lives. As Josh reflects on their ordeal, he reveals that the federal authorities have taken control of the case, rescued the women, and launched an investigation into the corruption. Maureen, meanwhile, has vanished into thin air.

With his request for a transfer to a coastal posting pending, Josh bids Jay farewell, leaving him to retrace his steps back to Goldstone and revisit the ancestral site where his journey began, this time with a deeper understanding of the harsh realities he encountered in the outback.