Martin Brueckner is a lecturer at Curtin University and an adjunct lecturer and researcher at Edith Cowan University. Dyann Ross is a mental health social worker with the Queensland Department of Health. Erin Brockovich is a former American legal clerk and environmental activist who was instrumental in constructing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California in 1993.

Relating the story of a tiny town pitted against a strong corporation, this account strives to voice the concerns of local communities when they come into conflict with corporate profits. With the help of Erin Brockovich, the small town of Yarloop in Western Australia is fighting its powerful neighbor, Alcoa World Alumina. Their struggle is over social, health, and environmental concerns surrounding Alcoa's Wagerup alumina refinery. The stories told here are shared by communities around the world amidst ongoing industrialization and resultant collisions between social and economic interests. Depicting life under corporate influence, this study explicitly illustrates that profits matter-but not more than people and place.