In 1863 the authorities send Irish orphans Ismay and Mara to Australia against their will. Worse, on arrival they're separated from one another. While Ismay is forced to take a job as a maid miles away in the country, Mara must stay in the care of the Catholic mission.

Desperate to be reunited, Ismay waits her moment then flees her employers to look for her sister but she runs into danger out in the bush. She is saved by Malachi Firth, but although he's attracted to her, he doesn't want to be encumbered with a wife.

In addition, Mara has also run away and though she finds shelter it is in a place with its own perils.

Meanwhile, their elder sister Keara has not forgotten them. However, she has had her own struggles to face and by the time she reaches Melbourne she finds that the trail is cold.

Danger continues to threaten all three sisters as their desperate search takes them from one side of Australia to the other. Will they find one another again or will their old enemies triumph