The novel's foreword states:
'This story is an effort to portray the life of the settlers in the North and North-Western wheat districts. It does not aim at either exact portraiture or exact geography. It presents, however, some types and some impressions which may help readers to understand and appreciate the pioneering settlement now going on in the interior of the mother State. The author dedicates this book to the pioneers of the North-West in the hope that it may lead the "old hands" to give a hearty and sympathetic welcome to immigrants from the Old Land or from the other States.'
