Peter's father has taken up a new job at the sawmill in Johnsonville. The family have left their apartment in the city to move to a small country town. Peter is scared that he will not fit in to his new surroundings. He is fortunate to be welcomed into a group who call themselves the Merlins. These other children teach him how to live in his new environment and how by sticking together you can be happy and successful. Together they help the Police to solve the mystery of the robberies that are plaguing the town. A school assignment leads Peter to learn about the town's own bushranger and how they find out the final part of the Bushranger's story. Peter's new world will lead him to other challenges and he and the Merlins will need to work together to get by.