The novel is set in a futuristic Australia where myth and reality are intertwined, and the world is in dire state because of climate change. The main character is called Oblivia. She is an Aboriginal girl who is rescued by a woman called Bella Donna from an old tree where the young girl survived for who knows how long, without family or protection. The girl was presumably abandoned by her family and community and survived rape and many other atrocities.
Bella Donna is a refugee from Europe and a survivor of a disaster that took thousands of lives. The two of them leave to live in a swamp where Bella Donna tells Oblivia stories of white swans from Europe. Oblivia grows up with black swans by her side. They are always there with her, giving her reason and purpose.
As she grows up and Bella Donna dies, she gets abducted by an Aboriginal man called Warren, who will become the first Aboriginal president of Australia. He locks Oblivia up making her lose her freedom. After swans visit her in her confinement, and sensing that they might be in danger, Oblivia finds the strength to escape. She contemplates killing her husband and decides to become a refugee and go north in search for the safety for her black swans.
