In 1820 Mary Jones is wrongly convicted of a crime committed by her best friend. From their first encounter as domestic servants in Kent, the two women were unlikely friends, opposite in every way - Mary trusting, generous and kind, and Maria ruthless, manipulative and feisty. But their lives are changed forever when Mary is transported from the tranquillity of rural England to the alien environment of colonial Australia. The destinies of the two friends entwine through England, New Zealand and Australia as they forge new lives against all odds.