Ballarat, in 1852, is not a place for a genteel young girl, but Jenny Tremayne is determined to prove herself to Will Collins. She finds she has a rival in the fey Selena Trevannick, who has arrived on the goldfields with her sea-captain father. Captain Trevannick is delighted to discover his estranged son, Con, has a homestead nearby, while Jenny is horrified to discover that Tom Roberts is one of the brutal and hated police, and Selena tells no-one of the terrible battle she has foreseen. And how will Joshua Winton's presence on the goldfields affect the lives of all, as the seeds of dissent are being sewn among the miners.