'At the turn of the twentieth century, Australia, in a spirit of growing independence shrugs off many of its ties with the "Old Country." Some class distinctions linger, boundaries between men and women are still clearly defined and social conventions strict, but with common decency and good manners valued highly, people act kindly toward each other. In this setting a well-meant deception finds a young woman involved in a desperate search to unearth crucial information, for the truth preserved by its wary keepers lies buried in the opal fields on the fringe of the vast and thirsty Outback. Realizing her future depends on the choice between two rivals of diverse faiths, she hesitates in the belief that those she cares for most, always seem to be taken from her. But when it finally appears she has lost everything, she discovers that true love, like faith, does not depend on feelings alone' (publication blurb).
