'I'm in it good and proper, worse than sweeping out the tallest, muckiest chimney. But I learnt there are two sorts of kindness. One of them's nice to look at for a time, but it's rotten inside. The other one's true and honest, like the kind Helen gives.'

Chimney sweep Ben escapes from a tyrannical boss, but his brave new life turns nasty and dangerous.

Helen wants nothing more than to stay on the family farm in rural England. Then a devastating change strips her of everything she knows and loves.

Amid their struggles, Helen and Ben leave England, bound for Australia. But before they even catch sight of their new land, they face a menace far worse than anything they met in the old country.

A thriller set in the harsh 1830's by bestselling author David McRobbie.