Gold Commissioner Fitzalan unwittingly instigates another disturbance on the Crockers Gully goldfields when he appoints Dr. Kirby as a temporary teacher. Dr. Kirby's appointment is opposed by the Reverend Smith, who is anxious to safeguard the children of Crockers Gully from what he considers to be Dr. Kirby's subversive teachings. The hostility between the two sparks off a riot among the miners.
