As a child, Charlotte Jackson arrived in Australia on the convict ship where her mother died. Now a young woman, she is thriving, a successful dressmaker and a junior partner at Hippesley's Emporium. But she yearns to belong, and dreams of returning to England to discover more about her family. Travelling over the sea to London, she wonders what kind of life she will find there. And what part might the handsome Alexander Melford play in it? Can they overcome all the difficulties fate throws at them and find a happy, stable life together?