In the kaleidoscopic society of early white settlement in Australia, the sensuously beautiful daughter of the clerk of the local court, a free settler, Emily Walters becomes intimately involved with an escaping convict. Now on her eighteenth birthday, Emily believes she is a ruined woman. Guilt and shame lead her to embark on a life of service and caring for others. Meanwhile the wrongfully convicted escapee is compelled to clear his name for himself, for his family and for Emily. Can life be reborn and love renewed? This debut novel by Jeannie Morgan vividly captures the hardships and triumphs of the Australian bush.