It is January 1835 as a newly-orphaned thief gathers what meager possessions she can find, places them in a hessian bag, and barely escapes with her life. When her journey leads her to the squalor and poverty of Cork, Ireland, Cherokee Rose Harper is viewed as just another raggedy street urchin. But what no one knows is that she is being pursued by those who want nothing more than to punish her for her crime. With her only kin, her brother, away fighting as a mercenary, Cherokee Rose seemingly has no choice but to travel as far away as possible. After she disguises herself, she secures a job as a cabin boy on the ship, Neva, bound for the colony of New South Wales. While aboard, she befriends a young man, Ruian Conner, who protects her secret. Four months later when the Neva is wrecked in Bass Straight, Cherokee is rescued by a group of whalers and taken to mainland Australia where she is saved by an aboriginal, Wajum, who soon leads her on an unforgettable adventure across the grand continent. A Spirit of Place is the historical tale of a young orphan's journey across the seas from everything she knows to a new life in mainland Australia.