Don't Smile Till Easter takes place in Australia. Amidst the tragedy and humor of everyday school and family life, the worst student defends the best teacher, who is unjustly judged guilty of unforgiveable crimes against another student. Interweaving throughout the narrative, each of the 15 characters tell their stories and those of the other characters, resplendent with biases and satire. 

Lukas is an underdog and a winner: intelligent, angry, humorous, and 14 years old. He is a guerrilla warfare fighter against the establishment and injustice. Lukas discovers his teachers to be people with faults and failings, and he is prepared to manipulate them to his advantage. To Lukas comes Donny: teacher, coach and mentor. What happens when Lukas finds something to admire in the enemy? 

Donny is popular with the students because he treats them as human beings. This gets him into trouble with “by the book” Principal Grey. It's annoying enough for Lukas to have one of his teachers as his mentor - it’s even more annoying when your mentor and your mother overcome their differences and become a romantic item. It’s also annoying to have the hots for a girl three years older than yourself and discover that her boyfriend isn’t too welcoming concerning your advances to her. What happens when Grey starts victimizing Lukas’ new mate? 

Worse still, what happens when your mate is unjustly judged guilty of the sexual assault of the girl you have the hots for? He's guilty until proven innocent. But you go into battle for your mate because you know he’s the all-good, genuine article. And at the end of it all, when it's turned out for better or worse, you have to say goodbye to your best mate. But the important thing is, what have you learned from all of this? Do you take revenge on the tormentor, or do you not, because you are the better man? 

Whatever happens, we are left in no doubt that Lukas will grow up to be a warrior against injustice. Lukas is a character ready-made for listeners to love.