On the opening night of the Sydney Festival, a cynical travel writer, desperate to start a new life, is forced to give one last tour of the city to a traveling musician. Over the next 24 hours, he finds himself falling in love with the girl he has only just met, and the city he thought he knew.

SYNOPSIS:

Cynical travel writer, Grant Ryder (28) is leaving his hometown Sydney for good, in an attempt to put his painful past behind him. At the airport, there is a chance meeting with Nina Taylor (25) a traveling musician who is visiting Sydney for the first time. They flirt over a stolen bottle of vodka, assuming this is the last they'll see of each other. Arriving at his departure gate intoxicated, Grant is barred from boarding a flight for another twenty four hours. In order to cover the cost of a new ticket, Grant turns to a friend who offers him a job chaperoning a client around Sydney, making sure he gets them to their performance later that night. When he arrives at the hotel, he is surprised to find Nina is his client. After the initial animosity between Grant and Nina - he pettily blames her for missing his flight while she acts defensively towards him, wanting independence and solitude - she eventually agrees to let him show her around the city on the proviso that he scores some weed. Once stoned, their facades begin to soften and they are able to speak openly. But the views of the optimistic and carefree Nina clash with those of the conservative and cynical Grant. After being chased by the police for being in possession of weed, Grant declares that Nina has brought him nothing but bad luck and decides he would be better off spending his final day alone. Upon realizing that Nina never returned his watch from an earlier game, Grant proceeds to track her down at a musician’s showcase, where seeing her perform for the first time, he’s mesmerized and she gets under his skin once again, allowing their exploration of the city to continue. Through talk of music, writing, the future and what home means to them, they eventually find a common ground and the connection between the two mismatched strangers grows. With Nina by his side, Grant is able to face up to his past – revisiting old haunts and abandoned friends. He finally takes Nina to his mother’s final resting place to reveal the events which unfolded a year ago to the day that set his life on a downward path. By the time they head to Nina’s gig that night, sexual tensions are at a high, until Grant is forced to confront his romantic past head on. This proves the tipping point to the day’s events and being unable to maturely handle the situation, Grant blames Nina for ruining his day, and she retaliates, attacking his self-indulgence. All looks lost as they go their separate ways. It’s only once Grant can address the underlying issue that’s holding him back that he can see the mistakes he’s held onto before it’s too late and Nina disappears forever from their ephemeral moment. In spending the day together, Nina's perspective intertwines with Grant's, changing him. He's forced to face his past, and the city of Sydney. With the single goal of leaving his hometown being his driving focus throughout, when at the airport the next day, we find Grant filled with hope for his future, but equal confusion about how to best embrace this new found optimism.