1832 - John, from humble beginnings is working as a footman at Lambeth Palace when he is unwittingly set up for a crime, he would never have thought of committing

1841 - Amelia is living in poverty on the streets of Edinburgh but makes a plan to escape her lot and travel to the land of hopes and dreams that she keeps hearing about. Amelia witnesses Australia's most important textile, the Rajah quilt being given to Lady Jane Franklin in 1841.

Fate throws them together at the expansive colonial estate of Vron near Launceston in Van Diemen's Land. But on their path to happiness, they must face the cruelties and hardships of the convict system. They eventually become some of the first settlers of Bishopsbourne and witness the changing tide in colonial politics and the birth of a new nation.

Read about two very different characters who were thrown together and made a life for themselves, better than they could ever have imagined in Britain. The story of the Church of England's beginnings in Tasmania unfolds and you will learn about many of the interesting early church characters, the early politicians and landowners, as well as the story of Christ College which is the oldest tertiary institution in Australia and is now a residential college of the University of Tasmania.

This story is based on the true-life story of the authors third great grandparents.