'Whilst living in Echuca, Philadelphia Gordon has developed a strong attachment to the river, and a fascination for paddle steamers. When she becomes owner of a paddle steamer she wishes that she had been born a male and not bound by the conventions society imposes upon females.When Delie meets a young handsome riverman, Brenton Edwards, she falls hopelessly in love with him. However, the future is not the idyll she had foreseen. She is dogged by tragedy and her mind becomes plagued by many questions. Will she ever escape the treadmill of motherhood? Is she doomed to forever be subordinate to a philandering, reckless husband?'
Source: Amazon abstract.
A sequel to the 1983 mini-series All the Rivers Run, this series takes place in 1903. Brenton Edwards continues to pilot the riverboat Philadelphia around Echuca, one of the biggest inland ports in Australia at that time. After Edwards makes the acquaintance of Cyrus James, an expatriate American, the pair become partners in the riverboat business. Things don't go well for them, however. First the shipping and tourism industries in Echuca go into a downturn, and then Edwards is sent to jail for a crime he didn't commit. James rallies to keep their business afloat and Edwards's family together, as they all search for a way to prove Edwards is innocent.