English writer Richard Lovat Somers and his German wife Harriet visit New South Wales, Australia, in the early 1920s. The couple gets entangled in the current post-war political climate in an unfamiliar country.

They are courted by the various political parties from the socialists to the nationalist quasi-fascist party. Unable to embrace either they leave for America.

"Kangaroo" is a semi-autobiographical tale loosely based on D.H. Lawrence's visit to Australia with his wife Frieda in 1922. The novel reflects Lawrence's own experiences during World War I. It is an exploration of political ideas at an immensely personal level.