Curlew Dreaming is the eagerly-awaited fourth instalment in the Curlew Series by Don Douglas. The action begins in 1928 after the Tomahawk Plains races. Nettie Chambers and Northern Territory cattleman Eric McDonald begin a love affair that has evolved from a teenage crush over a period of years. The death of an Aboriginal elder leaves Eric with a solemn duty and also a legacy of profound connotations in the form of the Crocodile Blood Diamond. Initially sceptical, Eric's subsequent experiences lead him to acknowledge that the talisman has supernatural powers. World War II intervenes in Nettie and Eric's lives and their separate experiences test their mettle, their resolve and their fidelity. Nettie undergoes another uncanny experience and is no longer the straightforward young woman she once was.