Bernadette/Ralph (Terence Stamp), Tick/Mitzi Del Bra (Hugo Weaving) and Adam/Felicia (Guy Pearce) are three transvestite artistes who are tired of not getting enough recognition for their performances in Sydney. One day, out of the blue, Tick/Mitzi accepts an offer to perform in Alice Springs in the middle of the Australian desert. The three of them pack up their cosmetics and costumes and travel through the Outback in a run-down bus. Soon, Tick/Mitzi’s secret comes out: he is married, and has a son in Alice Springs. On their journey through the Outback they dance with aborigines, and Tick loses a bet and must parade in his costume through a rural town. When the bus breaks down, Bernadette falls in love with the mechanic, Bob (Bill Hunter), who is married to an Asian ex-stripper whom Bob married in a state of complete inebriation. When his wife leaves him, Bob joins the three on the final leg to Alice Springs where Tick meets his family.