In 1853 in Hobart Town, Van Diemen’s Land (later known as Tasmania), Isabel Saxby is a successful and independent business woman, due in part to an anonymous benefactor. Unmarried, Isabel falls in love with Barnaby Micklejohn, a widower assigned from England to work as an official in the colonial government. Their romance develops, but Isabel’s past remains a mystery. A letter from her mother in England, begging Isabel to return to Worcester to visit her dying father, means postponing plans for her promised future with Barnaby, as her sense of duty compels her to embark on the thirteen-week journey. Aboard Brunel's renowned ship SS Great Britain bound for Liverpool, Isabel is deeply disturbed at the surprising presence of another English passenger, well-known from her younger days. Throughout the long voyage Isabel’s haunting past becomes steadily unravelled. More astonishing revelations follow in Worcester and Hobart Town, putting her future with Barnaby in dire jeopardy. NANCY CARSON brilliantly weaves together facts, fiction and history in this memorable story of unscrupulous treachery, and is full of the unexpected twists and turns, adored by her fans.