In 1882 a French naval supply ship was taken by a band of convicts from one of their South Pacific penal colonies and sailed away to freedom. The 28 men aboard the vessel vanished into the rainforests in tropical north Queensland. Today most of these men live in the quiet little town of Ville Perdu, in the heart of the state close to desert country. Some live elsewhere, in other places. They have visitors from their old home village in France. They continue to exist. It is unclear why these events are possible, just that they are. They have the gift of time.