When Rory Campbell is sent to New South Wales to relieve the shame he has brought on his family he meets and falls in love with the beautiful Elizabeth Ballentine. Trouble is Elizabeth has married a rich, middle aged honourable man in a deal to save her family's estate and is resolved to uphold her part of the bargain. It takes tragedy for them to face up to their obligation before trying to find true happiness, This is a story of love and longing, of moral obligation and selflessness. It is set against the landscape of early Australia and embraces both Sydney and the magnificent Murray River in the 1850s where rural trade out of Echuca was almost at its peak. It conjures up images of a raw developing nation where desperate ex-convicts resort to kidnapping and highway robbery to survive. The Campbell odyssey is the life changing journey of Rory Campbell from a frivolous young rake to a mature and compassionate pioneer of the sheep industry in early Australia