In the wake of devastation and poverty left by the Agricultural Revolution, young newlyweds Emma and Benjamin Bowden emigrate to the free colony of South Australia and the promise of a hopeful future. Leaving behind everything they have ever known, they journey for 94 days at sea, swept along by the ferocity of the Atlantic gales and the Roaring Forties, to finally disembark in Adelaide, a city still in her infancy. They join Emma's brother William to work on Samuel Davenport's farm. But their lives are soon crushed by tragedy. Although familiar with the dangers involved, they are forced to relocate to Moonta Mines where Benjamin endures the hardships of working below ground, and Emma faces her own challenges raising her growing family on a mining lease. Eventually, they acquire land at nearby Agery, building their very own "Constantine Farm." Clearing Mallee scrub from the property is brutal, the droughts and isolation daunting but the Cornish couples are resilient and, as their children run free in the sunny dusty terrain of Agery, and later Moonta, they begin to feel a sense of belonging, of home.