AustLit

'London 1852: Following a disastrous duel, John Farrington has lost everything – his army commission, his reputation, and the love of his life. When he becomes the target of a powerful, vengeful family he is forced to run, boarding a ship bound for Australia. 

'Hong Kong 1853: Master Feng, operatic impresario accused of treason, flees with his star performer, 'The Emperor’s Nightingale'. Fate places them aboard a Yankee clipper ship to the great continent in the south. 

'Melbourne 1853: From humble beginnings, Cate Shearley is determined to make a prosperous life for herself and her son Jack, and has built up an enviable business as proprietor of the Golden Sheaf Hotel and Shearley’s Variety Theatre. When her shows have the crowds flocking in, Cate realises there is even more money to be made entertaining the gold-rich miners of Ballarat. 

'But as Shearley’s Travelling Variety Show sets off for the goldfields, two in the troupe have ruthless enemies in pursuit. And their world will explode at the Eureka diggings, where the fuse of revolution has already been lit . . . ' (Publication summary)