A casual swamp excursion becomes a prolonged survival struggle in which Lee must defeat the crocodile and endure the loss of her companions.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
A Casual Trip Into Black Water
Grace, Adam, and Lee choose an impromptu fishing tour during their vacation. Jim takes them deeper into the mangrove swamp after the normal route yields no fish.
Key Events
Visit To Crocodile Show — Grace, Adam, and Lee visit a crocodile show while on vacation. Characters: Grace, Adam, LeeLocation: Vacation destination
Impulsive Fishing Trip — The group decides on a boat ride into the mangrove swamp. Characters: Grace, Adam, LeeLocation: Black Water Barry's docks
Jim Takes The Tour — With Barry unavailable, Jim offers to guide the group instead. Characters: Grace, Adam, Lee, JimLocation: Black Water Barry's docks
Deeper Into The Swamp — After catching no fish, Jim suggests taking the boat deeper into the swamp. Characters: Grace, Adam, Lee, JimLocation: Mangrove swamp
Lee Spots Something — Lee notices something through her camera, but the group later finds nothing. Characters: Grace, Adam, Lee, JimLocation: Swamp clearing
The Swamp Claims The Boat
The boat capsizes during a sudden crocodile attack, killing Jim and separating the survivors. Grace reaches a tree while Lee struggles beneath the overturned boat.
Key Events
The Boat Capsizes — A sudden attack overturns the boat and throws everyone into the water. Characters: Grace, Adam, Lee, JimLocation: Mangrove water
Jim Is Killed — Jim is killed underwater, and Adam realizes a crocodile attacked the group. Characters: Grace, Adam, Lee, JimLocation: Mangrove water
Grace Reaches A Tree — Adam helps Grace into a nearby tree while he searches for Lee. Characters: Grace, Adam, LeeLocation: Mangrove tree
Lee Escapes The Ropes — Lee frees herself from ropes beneath the boat and climbs onto its surface. Characters: Grace, Adam, LeeLocation: Overturned boat
Predator Thrashes The Boat — The crocodile attacks the boat while Grace and Adam distract it from Lee. Characters: Grace, Adam, LeeLocation: Mangrove water
A Failing Rescue Plan
The survivors attempt to use ropes and the boat to reunite and escape. Lee swims across, but Adam is killed when he tries to recover the boat.
Key Events
Rope Rescue Plan — The survivors try to use the boat's ropes to pull Lee to safety. Characters: Grace, Adam, LeeLocation: Mangrove water
Lee Swims Across — When the boat becomes stuck, Lee swims across despite panicking midway. Characters: Grace, Adam, LeeLocation: Mangrove water
Corpse Blocks The Route — Grace attempts to climb toward the mainland but retreats after finding pieces of a corpse. Characters: Grace, AdamLocation: Mangrove trees
Adam Overturns The Boat — Adam reaches the boat and successfully overturns it. Characters: Grace, AdamLocation: Mangrove water
Adam Is Killed — The crocodile kills Adam after he reaches the overturned boat. Characters: Grace, AdamLocation: Mangrove water
Wounds And Vanishing Hope
Grace is badly bitten while the sisters search for help, and a passing boat fails to hear them. Lee reaches the boat but is attacked and stranded on a small island.
Key Events
Nighttime Feeding — At night, the crocodile begins eating Adam while Grace and Lee remain trapped. Characters: Grace, Lee, AdamLocation: Mangrove tree
Grace Suffers A Bite — The crocodile attacks as they search for the boat, biting Grace's thigh. Characters: Grace, LeeLocation: Mangrove swamp
Rescue Boat Missed — A passing boat cannot hear their calls because of its propeller. Characters: Grace, LeeLocation: Mangrove water
Lee Reaches The Boat — Lee successfully reaches the boat, but the crocodile suddenly attacks and leaps into it. Characters: LeeLocation: Mangrove water
Lee Reaches The Island — Lee floats unconscious to a small island beside Jim's body and takes his revolver. Characters: Lee, JimLocation: Small island
The Last Shot
Lee cleans Jim's jammed revolver and uses Jim's arm as bait. After a misfire and a pursuit, she repairs the weapon's function long enough to kill the crocodile, only to find Grace dead.
Key Events
The Revolver Is Unjammed — Lee discovers mud has jammed the revolver and cleans it before facing the predator. Characters: Lee, JimLocation: Small island
Bait And First Misfire — Lee uses Jim's detached arm as bait, but the revolver jams when the crocodile attacks. Characters: Lee, JimLocation: Small island
Lee Kills The Crocodile — After fleeing a sneak attack, Lee gets the revolver working and kills the crocodile. Characters: LeeLocation: Small island
Grace Dies — Lee returns to Grace, but Grace has died from her injuries. Characters: Grace, LeeLocation: Mangrove tree
Lee Paddles Away — Lee mourns Grace, places her on the boat, and paddles out of the mangrove. Characters: Lee, GraceLocation: Mangrove water
Story Breakdown
Vacation Excursion — The three vacationers make a spontaneous decision to enter the mangrove swamp.
Crocodile Show — Grace, Adam, and Lee visit a crocodile show while on vacation.
Fishing Tour — They choose a boat trip into the swamp and accept Jim as their guide.
Deeper Into Danger — The tour moves beyond the usual route, and unsettling signs precede the attack.
Empty Fishing Route — The group catches no fish on the normal route.
Camera Sighting — Lee sees something through her camera in a swamp clearing.
Capsized Survival — The crocodile overturns the boat and forces the group into separate survival positions.
Jim's Death — Jim is killed underwater during the initial attack.
Tree And Boat — Grace reaches a tree while Lee escapes the ropes beneath the overturned boat.
Broken Escape Plans — The survivors repeatedly attempt to use the boat, ropes, and mainland route to escape.
Rope Rescue — Grace and Adam try to pull Lee to safety with the boat's ropes.
Adam's Last Attempt — Adam overturns the boat but is killed by the crocodile.
Isolation And Injury — Grace's injury worsens while Lee faces repeated attacks and dwindling rescue opportunities.
Grace's Bite — Grace suffers a severe bite to her thigh and loses blood.
Stranded Island — Lee reaches a tiny island after the crocodile attacks the boat.
Lee's Final Confrontation — Lee turns Jim's revolver into her final chance against the crocodile.
Jammed Revolver — Lee cleans mud from Jim's revolver, but it jams again during the bait attempt.
Mourning Departure — Lee kills the crocodile, finds Grace dead, and paddles away with her sister.
Based on true events, Grace, her boyfriend Adam, and her younger sister, Lee, are on holiday in Northern Australia when they decide to take a tour down a river. As they drift into a swamp, their boat suddenly capsizes. Stranded in the flooded swamp, the three tourists must figure out what to do to survive as they realize they are being watched through the black water.
