Abigail's first marriage arranged by her dictatorial father had proved to be a total disaster. Barely has she had a chance to take stock of her situation when her father announces she is to marry again; to a suitor totally unacceptable to Abigail. Disillusioned with her father and men in general, Abigail plans her escape. Prevailed upon for his assistance, her twin brother, Doctor George Goldfinch, agrees to enter into the subterfuge. He assists Abigail, along with her companion and her maid, to escape London and the clutches of their father. With his manservant, the enigmatic Thomas, the group leave the London docks bound for the Antipodes. After six years developing a medical practice in Brisbane, the Goldfinch entourage journey, on board the Northern Orchid, to Cook's Town where they provide assistance to a desperate new settlement. Cook's Town in 1873, the gateway to the newly discovered goldfield on the Palmer River, two hundred miles inland, supports little infrastructure necessary to cope with the thousands of prospectors seeking their fortunes. No harbour is available on the Endeavour River. The town is little more than a tent city. Food and clean drinking water are in short supply. Access to a trained medical professional is a rarity. The monsoons threaten. Hundreds of miners are dying in their attempt to reach the goldfields or on their return to Cook's Town, disillusioned, starving and penniless. After the death of her mother and the placement of her siblings in the Brisbane orphanage, sixteen-year-old Maureen Ryan must find her mining father. She arrives in Cook's Town on board the Northern Orchid in the company of the doctor's group. Foolishly, Maureen believes a shifty packhorse handler, Silas. The man claims to know her father, Bert Ryan, and where he is to be found on the goldfields. He offers to deliver Maureen to her father. In return, Silas asks for her assistance with his packhorse team during the journey. It is Josh and Gus Dougall along with China from the Northern Orchid and Bert Ryan himself, who begin the race to rescue the girl.