Jane Ashby's pleasant life in the city comes to an abrupt end when her father and brother decide to take up gold prospecting and she is forced to relocate with them to a small, remote gold field. Stuck in a dirty cottage and surrounded by uncouth neighbours and wild bushland, Jane is warned by a friend never to marry a settler as the farming life is too hard. When one of the settlers takes her off by force to save her from a night in the bush, she resents being made a virtual prisoner on his farm and longs to go back to city life. However, the charismatic and dangerous Lord Raven and his gang of bushrangers kidnap Jane and use her to extract ransom money from her brother. Escaping from him twice, Jane fights for her life. Can she find happiness there? Can she come to terms with this uncivilised country and become a settler's wife?