In the mid-nineteenth century, Maggie O'Fallon's parents fled the Irish Potato Famine for the gold fields of New Zealand. But when the hardships of frontier life leave Maggie orphaned at the age of thirteen, she finds herself at the mercy of the Catholic Church. She is forced into an orphanage, where for years she endures loneliness and abuse until circumstances leave her no choice but to flee. Maggie now must find her way in an unforgiving world. She will have to overcome her fears and self-doubt, and find the strength to resist those who seek to corrupt and destroy her. Maggie must decide who she can trust, when it seems that those whom society deem to be the most unworthy may be the only ones who can help her. As Maggie comes of age in an era of lawlessness she must negotiate many dangers as she tries to survive. When she finds herself drawn to a dangerous frontiersman, Maggie faces a difficult decision. Could he be the greatest threat of all, or the unlikely means to her salvation?