Hardworking Essie Chapman lives with her boatman father on the banks of the Thames. When an accident leaves him bedridden with only ale to ease his pain, it is Essie who takes up the oars for the family's survival, risking her life to ferry passengers across the dangerous waters. One night, Essie transports a mysterious man from a foreign ship to the docks, a man who gives her no more than his name - Raven. And against her will, Essie finds herself on a ship bound for the Australian penal colonies. Plunged into terrible danger, Essie embarks on a perilous journey to the other side of the world...
