Plot

Lauren and Ned, in love and engaged, have just ten days to find Lauren's mother who has gone AWOL somewhere in the remote far north of Australia, reunite her parents, and pull off their dream wedding.

Adelaide lawyers Lauren Ford and Ned Pelton have just become engaged--on the same day that indecisive and insecure Lauren has been promoted to full associate at Hampton and Associates by her demanding boss, Ms. Hampton, whom Ned refers to as Cruella de Vil. As he proposes to Lauren, Ned neglects to tell her that he, emotionally ill-equipped to handle the work, has quit his job as a public prosecutor; he had mostly gone into the work to meet his now-deceased father's expectations in following in his footsteps. In her focus on her own career especially with high maintenance Ms. Hampton, Lauren hasn't noticed Ned's dissatisfaction with his job. Ned doesn't want a long engagement, and in fact Lauren wants to get married in 10 days in her hometown of Darwin, as she is able to negotiate the time off with Ms. de V--er, Ms. Hampton. When Lauren and Ned arrive in Darwin, they discover that her Aborigine mother Daffy left her father Trevor Ford for undisclosed reasons six months ago, and her present whereabouts are unknown. With what little information they have, Lauren and Ned leave teary-eyed Trevor in Darwin to lead the wedding planning as they try to find Daffy. Ned funnels his newfound energies into this task, which Lauren much needs him to do; she really wants her mother at her wedding, but she is the one more apt to give up on what seems like a wild-goose chase. As they trek through the expanses of Northern Australia, the leads point them in the direction of the Tiwi Islands, Daffy's homeland, from which she fled at 18 to escape an arranged marriage. With this new information in the context of their situation, Lauren and Ned can't help but reflect on their own relationship in the countdown to their own supposed wedding day.—Huggo

In 1976, a young Daphne "Daffy" Ford (Brooklyn Doomadgee) escapes an arranged marriage in her homeland on the Tiwi Islands. While being chased by her relatives, she flees the island on a speedboat.

In the present day, Daffy's daughter, Lauren (Miranda Tapsell), works as a lawyer in Adelaide and has recently been promoted. Her boyfriend, Ned (Gwilym Lee), proposes to her, suggesting a quick wedding; without telling her that he has just quit his job, also as a lawyer. Lauren's workaholic boss, Ms. Hampton (Kerry Fox), gives Lauren 10 days off for the wedding and honeymoon, an offer which Lauren accepts. They decide to quickly organize a wedding in Lauren's hometown of Darwin.

After arriving in Darwin, Lauren discovers that her mother has abandoned her father, Trevor (Huw Higginson), and that she is nowhere to be found. Lauren decides that she cannot marry without her mother present, and Ned takes her on a road trip to find her. Meanwhile, Lauren calls Ms. Hampton to come to Darwin and help plan the wedding in her absence.

Lauren and Ned follow traces left by Daffy (Ursula Yovich) but narrowly miss her at every turn. Lauren explains to Ned that her mother had always been evasive in talking about her past and has never taught her the [Tiwi language]; Lauren expresses shame and embarrassment in not knowing anything about her own heritage and culture. After meeting up with her aunt and talking to her, Lauren realizes that her mother has returned to the Tiwi Islands.

While Ms. Hampton plans the wedding with Lauren's friends, she talks to Trevor, who has been depressed since Daffy has left him. He discusses his marriage with Ms. Hampton, and she in turn confides her former engagement to a man many years before. After the breakdown of that relationship, she has focused mostly on her work.

On their way to the Tiwi Islands, Lauren discovers that Ned had quit his job without telling her. This leads to an argument where they both claim that they are not being listened to. Lauren cancels the wedding and continues to the Tiwi Islands alone.

There, Lauren meets her extended family for the first time and is greeted with warmth. She finds her mother outside of a church and witnesses Daffy reuniting and reconciling with her parents; Lauren, in turn, meets her grandparents for the first time. Later, she informs Daffy of her engagement, but is afraid that she will regret her marriage just as her mother did. Conversely, Daffy tells her that she never regretted her marriage but regrets being estranged from her family. She tells Lauren that Ned is a good man and encourages her to marry him. Lauren calls Ned while he is at the airport; he initially ignores her calls, but Ms. Hampton appears and forces him to answer his phone. He and Lauren reconcile and she tells him that they must marry on the Tiwi Islands. Ned persuades Ms. Hampton to skip a day at work and come to the wedding, as he is grateful for her continuous support of Lauren and Trevor.

Ned rushes back to Trevor's house and encourages him to come to his daughter's wedding, despite his disheveled state. Running late to the wedding, the two take the speedboat (the same one Daffy escaped on many years earlier) to the Tiwi Islands. Lauren and Ned reunite and are happily married in front of their family and friends; Ned tells Lauren that he intends to make a career change and become a chef. Trevor and Daffy reconcile and affirm their love for one another.