Cloudstreet follows the fluctuating fortunes of two families who inhabit a rambling old house in Perth.

Sybil, aka Spud, wants to be a drummer. She lives alone with her father, who refuses to discuss Sybil’s dead mother. Her reluctant friendship with an old woman helps both of them address their loneliness and deal with the future.

Shelley is embarrassed by her mother's work. Why can’t she get a decent job? At the pool, Ben is afraid of the water, but persists in hanging around the edge, and Tania in the wheelchair is organising a disco.