In this book we catch up with most members of the extended Carstairs family. Annie is the eldest Carstairs girl. She has lived out at Bathurst west of the Blue Mountains since her birth in 1824. After visiting her brother Tim and his wife in Port Phillip in 1843, Annie decides to stay there, seeking adventure much as Tim did the previous year.

Reserved and quiet Jacob O’Quinn works for her brother. The likeable young carpenter catches Annie’s eye, but when handsome Zachary McDowell, the complete opposite to steady Jacob comes along, he sweeps Annie off her feet. Heedless of advice, Annie makes a choice that turns out to be the worst she could ever make.

When Annie decides to return to her home, Jacob agrees to escort her, but the journey back across the mountains proves to be more eventful than she assumed it could ever be. The road itself may have seen improvements through the years but there will always be unexpected incidents to turn life around on its axis. A suspected murder brings the might of the law down on the shoulders of the young couple.