They say no one from the convict settlement of Sydney Town crossed the steep ranges of the Blue Mountains until 1813. But the quick-witted convict Clancy Fitzgerald did it in 1798, dragging with him the proud, but reluctant, Eliza Phillips. Failure meant the noose, so their only hope was to push forward, into the unknown. Faced with constant danger and wrenching isolation, Clancy and Eliza find themselves pale-skinned strangers in a land of ancient traditions and spiritual beliefs. But their destiny is dramatically altered when Clancy discovers a golden road to fortune and makes a triumphant return to white society as a new man--in more ways than one....